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By William Tyler Olcott 

A Field Book of the Stars 

In Starland with a Three-Inch Telescope 

Star Lore of All Ages 

Sun Lore of All Ages 

The Book of the Stars for Young People 


% 


V 



THE BOOK OF THE STARS 
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 

























The Fates Gathering in the Stars 

By Elihu Vedder 

Friends of American Art Collection 
Copyright by The Art Institute of Chicago 




THE BOOK OF THE STARS 
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


BY 

WILLIAM TYLER OLCOTT 

II 

Author of “ Star Lore of All Ages,” 

“A Field Book of the Stars,” etc. 


“ Why did no one teach me the constellations 
when / was a child.” —CARLYLE. 


ILLUSTRA TED 


G.P.Putnam’s Sons 

l^ewYork & London 

XDje Knickerbocker ^re*# 

1923 




Q'BAtr, 

,0>i* 


Copyright, 19*3 
by 

William Tyler Olcott 



MR 27 M3 h 



Here is life’s secret, 

Keep the upward glance, 

Remember Aries is your relative, 

The Moon’s your uncle, 

And those twinkling things, 

Your sisters and your cousins and your aunts. 

Hagedorn. 



INTRODUCTION 


Twinkle, twinkle, little star 
How I wonder what you are 
Up above the world so high, 

Like a diamond in the sky. 

You are all familiar with this rhyme which so well 
expresses the wonder of the child, and grown-ups, too, 
when they chance to look up at the clear night sky 
gleaming with its beautiful jewels that twinkle a 
welcome to Star land to all mankind. 

As the view 'of the lights of a distant city cheers 
the heart of the traveler journeying homeward, and 
as he rejoices at the sight of one well known light 
after another, so a knowledge of the names of the 
stars gives pleasure to those familiar with them, as 
they see their friendly beams emerging from the 
deepening shades of twilight. 

In introducing you, so to speak, to the stars, I 
propose to tell you their story and show you how to 
find the bright ones in order that you may enjoy 
their friendship and learn to love them. 

You who love the flowers will find the stars equally 
beautiful and lovable, for they, too, are many 
colored, and although they lack the fragrance of the 
flowers they bloom for us in the winter when all the 
vii 


INTRODUCTION 


viii 

fields and woods have lost their loveliness. In wan¬ 
dering through the starry fields you see a garden of 
perpetual blooms that never cease to charm and 
delight you. 

It is my wish in this book to blaze a trail for you 
among the stars in order that you may know your 
way about in the night sky and easily come to 
know the many objects of beauty and interest that 
darkness reveals to us. 

When you go out of doors on a clear night, when 
the moon is not shining, you see the sky dotted with 
gleaming points of light. 

Look how the floor of heaven 

Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold. 

Some are as brilliant as the brightest jewels, while 
others are so dim and faint we can scarcely see them. 
They are scattered all over the sky like little pin 
pricks in a great black curtain through which we see 
the gleam of a beautiful land of golden light beyond. 

Thousands of years ago these same stars looked 
down upon this old earth of ours, and in a land far 
off in the East there were shepherds who spent the 
night on the hillsides guarding their flocks. These 
shepherds used to gaze up at the stars with the same 
wonder with which we look at them, and for want of 
something better to do during their long night 
watches they named the stars and made pictures out 
of them to which also they gave names. Is it not 
interesting to realize that we still know the stars by 


INTRODUCTION 


ix 


these very old names that were given to them 
thousands of years ago by the shepherds of a far 
distant land ? 

Many of you, I feel sure, have watched the clouds 
in the summer time as they drifted slowly across the 
blue sky, for all the world like huge white birds or 
boats. Borne along, by the gentle breezes they 
lazily sailed along and as you gazed at them you saw 
their edges form to your fancy quaint and curious 
faces and figures and animals, strange and well- 
known, and possibly you saw in the changing folds of 
the fleecy clouds the towers, and domes, and minarets 
of mighty cities. 

It is not remarkable, therefore, that the shepherds 
of old, peering upward, should have traced star- 
pictures on the wonderful curtain of the night and 
that they should fancy that they saw huge giants 
and monsters in the starry skies. Presently they 
began to make up tales concerning the stars and in 
time each star and group of stars had an interesting 
story for them. 

You know how hard it is for us to see the same 
cloud-picture that another person imagines and 
calls our attention to; it is equally difficult for us to 
trace the star-pictures handed down to us by the 
shepherds of old. After a time, however, when we 
have gazed at the stars many nights we get a glimpse 
now and then of these time-honored figures, and then 
we have them to delight and charm us all the rest of 
our lives. 

As you look at the stars night by night you will see 


X 


INTRODUCTION 


them move apparently from east to west just as the 
sun seems to do. More stars are ever appearing as 
we gaze out over the eastern hills, and thus, in addi¬ 
tion to a beautiful puzzle picture for your enjoy¬ 
ment, you have in the stars the most wonderful 
movie that the world has ever seen unfolding before 
your eyes each fair night. The scenario, or story of 
this movie, is the one it is my pleasure to tell you 
about in this book. 

First of all, I am going to furnish you with a guide 
who will help you to find the stars I shall tell you 
about. He is a guide with four very good points and 
everyone is grateful to him for the help he gives 
them when they are lost and in doubt which way to 
go. The guide’s name is “Compass,” and his four 
good points are called “North,” “East,” “South,” 
and “West.” If you will learn these “points of the 
compass,” as they are called, you will always be able 
to find your way about by night or day wherever you 
may happen to be. 

It is very easy to find these four points. In the 
early morning you will always find the sun in the 
east if it is clear, and at sunset the sun will be seen 
in the west. If you stand with your right arm 
stretched out toward the east and your left arm 
toward the west, straight in front of you will be the 
north point, while directly back of you will be the 
south point. 

Try this plan and see how easily you have found 
the points of our ever faithful guide the compass. 
When I ask you to face any of these four points you 


INTRODUCTION 


xi 


will know just which way to stand to see the object 
I wish to call your attention to. Later I will tell you 
how to find the points of the compass at night when 
you do not have the sun to guide you. 

I think it is best to locate each star-picture in the 
sky for you in turn, and then tell you its story, so 
that after you have come to know the picture and 
can name the stars in it, you can read what men of 
old times wrote about them. Just as after visiting 
strange lands and cities you find a pleasure in reading 
the history concerning them. 

I have already told you that the stars appear to be 
in motion; we have therefore a slowly ever-changing 
moving picture thrown on the sky-screen, and it 
makes a difference at what time of the year we go out 
to look at the sky movies as to what picture we will 
see, for every season of the year has its own star- 
pictures. For this reason I will arrange the star- 
pictures by seasons in order that you may take up 
the study of them at any time. 

A few of the star-pictures can be seen at any time 
of the year, but as they seem to be slowly turning on a 
great round screen, sometimes the pictures will ap¬ 
pear to be upright and at other times they seem to 
be upside down, which makes them hard to puzzle 
out. 

To get the best view of the first star-picture I 
shall show you we must go out of doors some night 
in the Autumn, say at nine o’clock October 15th, 
eight o’clock November 1st, or seven o’clock Novem¬ 
ber 15th. There is no need to be exact as to time 


INTRODUCTION 


xii 

and date, only remember that the later in the Fall it 
is, the earlier you must go out of doors to see the 
star-picture right side up. 

If you wish to see this picture at some other time 
of the year, simply look first at the sketch I will give 
you of the different positions the picture assumes 
each season to get the proper view of the star- 
picture at the season of the year that it may happen 
to be. 

As for the names of the star-pictures, I will first 
give you the Latin name, the one astronomers use, 
which it is well for you to know, then I will add the 
better known or common name, which you will no 
doubt like best because it is easier to pronounce and 
remember, and, for the most part, these names 
describe the pictures. Now for the first picture! 


THE DIAGRAMS OF THE STAR-PICTURES 


You will find the Star-Pictures in this book ar¬ 
ranged according to the seasons; this is because each 
season has its own pictures, and some are better 
placed for observing than others. For this reason a 
plan of study is necessary. The pictures are ar¬ 
ranged as they appear in the sky at 8 p.m. in mid¬ 
season, in a favorable position for observing. 

The star-pictures of the Great and Little Bears, 
because of their importance, are described at the 
beginning of each season, in order that they may be 
the first pictures viewed, regardless of the time of the 
year that a study of them is taken up. 

In beginning work in any season, first consult the 
large plate showing the view of the whole sky as it 
appears on the given date. In these plates you are 
supposed to be looking south. By turning the plate 
about from left to right you will obtain the correct 
view of the eastern, northern, and western skies 
successively. 

The figures on the star-pictures that appear close 
to the dots representing the stars designate the 
magnitude of the stars. By the expression “the 
magnitude of a star” is meant its brightness. A 
star of the second magnitude is two and one-half 

xiii 


xiv DIAGRAMS OF THE STAR-PICTURES 


times brighter than a third magnitude star, and this 
is the degree of brightness of each successive magni¬ 
tude. Stars below the sixth magnitude are invisible 
to the naked eye. 

The positions of the wonderful objects in the sky 
known as Star Clusters are indicated on many of the 
pictures by a little circle of dots, close to which is a 
capital letter preceded by a number. The letter is 
the initial letter of the astronomer Messier who 
catalogued these objects, and the figure is his 
catalogue number. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction ...... vii 

The Diagrams of the Star-Pictures . . xiii 

-The Star-Pictures of Autumn . . . i 

Map of the Heavens at 9 p.m. October First . 2 

Ursa Major ....... 5 

Diagram Showing Seasonal Changes in Posi¬ 
tion of the Dipper ..... 7 

Ursa Minor.19 

Diagram of Daily Path of Little Bear . . 22 

Cassiopeia . 29 

Cepheus.37 

Draco. 45 

Diagram Showing Eastern and Northeastern 

Sky in Mid-Autumn . . . . .51 

Auriga.55 

Perseus ........ 63 

Andromeda 71 

Aries .... .... 81 

Pisces ........ 89 

XV 




XVI 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Taurus.. . . 95 

The Hyades. .103 

The Pleiades.109 

Pegasus.121 

Aquarius ....... 127 

Piscis Australis . . . . . .133 

Capricornus . . . . . . -137 

.. The Star-Pictures of Winter . . .143 

Map of the Heavens at 9 p.m. January First . 144 

Diagram of the Southern Mid-Winter Sky . 146 

Orion ........ 153 

Lepus ........ 165 

Gemini.171 

Monoceros.179 

Canis Major.183 

Canis Minor.189 

Cetus.195 

Eridanus ....... 201 

The Star-Pictures of Spring .... 205 

Map of the Heavens at 9 p.m. April First . 206 

Diagram of Southern Mid-Spring Sky . . 208 

Bootes , 215 














CONTENTS xvii 

PAGE 

Canes Venatici.223 

Coma Berenices.227 

Corona Borealis . . . . . .231 

Hercules ..237 

Virgo 243 

Leo ........ 249 

Corvus.257 

Crater.263 

Cancer ..267 

Hydra ........ 273 

The Star-Pictures of Summer . . .277 

Map of the Heavens at 9 p.m. July First . 278 

Diagram of the Southern Mid-Summer Sky 280 
Lyra ........ 287 

Cygnus.297 

Aquila ........ 303 

Delphinus . . . , . . .311 

Sagitta.317 

Ophiuchus and Serpens . . . . .321 

Scorpius. 3 2 7 

Sagittarius. 333 

Libra 339 















xviii CONTENTS 

PACK 

The Milky Way.343 

The Zodiac.351 

The Planets.355 

Diagram Illustrating the Moon’s Phases . 372 

Diagram Showing the Orbits of the Planets . 385 

Diagram Showing the Size of the Planets . 386 

Appendix ....... 389 

Index of Constellations .... 397 

Index ........ 399 




ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

The Fates Gathering in the Stars Frontispiece 
By Elihu Vedder. Friends of American Art Collection 


Astronomy and Geography .... 

From a mural painting by Will H. Low, in the New 
York State Education Building, Albany 

12 ^ 

The Forge of Vulcan ..... 
In the Ducal Palace, Venice. 

Photo by Anderson 

58 ^ 

Perseus and Medusa ..... 
Bronze by Cellini at Florence 

Photo by Brogi 

66 

Perseus and Andromeda .... 

(Berlin) 

Photo by Hanfstaengl 

74 

The Rape of Europa. 

Painting by Veronese. In the Ducal Palace, Venice 
Photo by Naya 

98 

The Dance of the Pleiades 

Painting by Elihu Vedder 

112 

Ganymede ....... 

Painting by George Frederick Watts 

Photo by Hollyer 

128 


xix 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Phaethon Driving the Chariot of Apollo . 202 

Painting by Max Klepper 

Berenice ....... 228 

Bronze Bust in National Museum, Naples 
Photo by Brogi 

The Minotaur ...... 232 

Painting by George Frederick Watts 


The Infant Hercules Strangling the Serpents 

at Pompeii.238 

Photo by Brogi 

Hercules and the Hydra . . . .274 

Uffizi Gallery at Florence 
Photo by Anderson 


Orpheus and Eurydice.292 

Villa Albani, Rome 
Photo by Anderson 

Cupid and Dolphin.312 

National Museum, Naples 
Photo by Brogi 

Laocoon. .322 

Museum of Vatican, Rome 
Photo by Anderson 


xx 


THE STAR-PICTURES OF AUTUMN 


N. 



O Stars of the first magnitude 
& Variable stars 
Nebula 

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Map showing the principal stars visible from Lat. 40° N. at 9 o’clock, October first. 


2 







URSA MAJOR 
THE GREAT BEAR 


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URSA MAJOR (er'sa mS-jor)—THE GREAT 
BEAR. (Face North.) 


“He who would scan the figured skies 
Its brightest gems to tell 
Must first direct the mind's eye north 
And learn the Bear’s stars well.” 


Let us go out in the garden or to some place where 
we can get a good view of the stars near the horizon 
and look for the star-picture that is the oldest, the 
best known, and the easiest to find, the picture that 
the shepherds of the olden time in the far East, and 
the ancestors of our own American Indians in the far 
West both called the “Great Bear.” 

A much better name for this picture, and the name 
it is best known by to-day is the “Dipper,” because, 
if you draw imaginary lines connecting the stars in 
this figure, you will see that your sketch looks not 
unlike a water dipper with a crooked handle. In¬ 
stead, therefore, of looking for the picture of a bear 
in the sky we will search for a star-picture that looks 
like a dipper, a figure similar to the one sketched 
on the following page. 

I will ask you to face north, for our picture is low 
down on the northern sky screen and it is one of the 


5 


6 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


few star-pictures that are always to be found in this 
part of the sky. 

Now look for seven fairly bright stars of almost 
equal brightness low down in the sky that resemble 
the figure of the dipper pictured in the sketch. I feel 



sure that you will see this at once, for the picture 
attracts our attention as soon as we look at the 
northern sky where there are few very bright stars. 
I must take it for granted that you have now seen 
your first star-picture. 

It is hard to believe that the picture is slowly turn¬ 
ing, and yet if you will come out later to-night you 
will see at once that it has done so, or if you cannot 
sit up so late go out with me a few nights later at the 
same time that we went out to-night and you will see 
that our picture has moved to the right (that is to 
the east) quite a bit. In the course of a month the 
movement is very marked. The stars themselves 
do not change their positions but the whole picture 
moves in a circle. Therefore the Dipper appears in 
different positions in the early evening at different 
seasons of the year, as you will see by looking at the 
following sketch. 

Once in every twenty-four hours the star-picture 
of the Dipper makes a complete circle around a 




FACE NORTH 



A U TUMN WIN TER 

The positions assumed by the Dipper or Great Bear in the early evening 
each season. 


7 









8 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


central point called the ‘‘Pole,” just as the horses in 
a merry-go-round circle about a central point where 
the hurdy-gurdy is usually located. The reason we 
do not see this circle completed by the Dipper is 
that when the sun rises its light is so bright that we 
cannot see the star-pictures, but they are there all 
the time on the screen. You see, the lights in the 
theatre have been turned up and we cannot see the 
movie because the lights are too bright for us to do so. 

You are quite sure to ask me why the star-pic¬ 
tures turn. It is because the earth is the operator 
of the moving-picture machine, and he makes the 
pictures appear to move in a circle; but in this book 
I am to tell you about the star-pictures and how to 
find them. As for a description of the moving- 
picture machine, that is another story which you can 
read later in other books when you know all the 
star-pictures and the stories concerning them. 

Now that you know the Dipper, let us see if we 
cannot trace out the time-honored figure of the Bear, 
and to do this you must turn back and look at the 
picture of the Bear that has been drawn for you. I 
might say here that it is a good plan when you go out 
to study the star-pictures, to take with you a small 
electric pocket flashlight to enable you to see the 
pictures in the book with which to compare the 
star-pictures in the sky. 

With the help of the picture, and a little imagina¬ 
tion, I think you will be able to see the Bear that has 
been inhabiting the sky-zoo for so many ages. He 
is really a huge bear with a long tail, and you will be 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


9 


apt to tell me that bears do not have long tails; but 
this one is a star-bear, you know, and they are differ¬ 
ent—this one is anyway. Later I will tell you how 
he came to have such a long tail. 

There are three little pairs of stars that mark 
three of the Bear’s four paws. It is quite likely that 
at this season of the year you will not be able to see 
the paws of the Bear early in the evening, but later 
on, as the picture turns, the Bear climbs up the sky 
and you can see all of his massive figure. In the 
early evening, in spring, he lies prone on his back 
with his paws stretched upward, high in the northern 
sky, in a most undignified position; in the summer he 
is seen in the early evening skillfully balanced on the 
tip of his nose; in the autumn he descends gracefully 
to an upright position, which is the reason I have 
shown his star-picture to you at this time; in the 
winter he performs the acrobatic feat of balancing 
on the tip of his tail, so you will acknowledge that 
he is a star performer. 

I shall give you on the diagrams of the star-pictures 
the old star names that have come down to us. 
Many of these names are long and difficult to pro¬ 
nounce, but some of them are very beautiful, and it 
will give you pleasure to memorize those that strike 
your fancy in order that you may call the stars by 
their names, which is always a pleasant thing to do 
when you recall how old the names are, and that 
people of bygone ages have worshipped the stars and 
built temples to them. 

You will also find a number of strange letters on 


10 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


the star-pictures that have been drawn for you. 
These are the Greek letter names of the stars given 
them by astronomers, and you can use them if you 
care to learn the Greek alphabet which you will find 
in the appendix. 

Now that you have seen and know this wonderful 
star-picture of the Bear let me tell you some of the 
stories that men of old time told concerning the Bear 
in order that, whenever you look at these seven 
famous stars, it may give you greater pleasure than 
just the sight of the stars affords you. Just as a 
movie, interesting for the pictures alone, is made 
doubly interesting by the story that explains the 
pictures. 

There are many stories about the Bear in the sky 
because this star-picture attracted the attention of 
people of all the northern countries of the world, and 
just as one person sees a face in a cloud, another an 
animal, so the people of one land had one story about 
the Bear while those of another country imagined 
something about him that was entirely different. 

I will not try to tell you all the stories about the 
star-pictures that have come down to us, as it will be 
easier for you to remember a few of the better known 
ones. If you are interested you can read the books 
that have been written on the subject which contain 
many strange and fascinating tales about the stars. 

According to a very old story the Bear in the sky 
is the figure of Callisto, a nymph, the beautiful 
daughter of Lycaon, the King of Arcadia. It is said 
that in the olden days there were powerful persons 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


ii 


called * ‘ gods ” who ruled the earth and had the power 
of turning people into animals, or animals into people, 
if they took a fancy to do so. It seems that Jupiter, 
who was all-powerful among the gods, was very fond 
of Callisto. Because of this fact his wife Juno did 
not like Callisto any too well, and would quite likely 
have harmed her in some way if Jupiter had not 
protected her. He did this by changing Callisto 
into a Bear, and then for fear that the hunters or 
their dogs would harm her he placed her up in the 
sky, away from all danger, where she could be ad¬ 
mired by everyone for all time, and so we see in this 
star-picture of the Bear the figure of the beautiful 
maiden. 

Callisto had a little son named Areas who was out 
hunting one day, before his mother who had been 
changed into a bear had been placed in the sky, and 
Areas, seeing the bear, was about to kill his own 
mother. To save him from this terrible deed, 
Jupiter quickly changed him into a little bear, and 
placed the two bears close together in the sky. The 
poet Ovid gives us the following account of Callisto 
and Areas: 

He writes that Jupiter— 

snatched them through the air 
In whirlwinds up to heaven and fix’d them there; 
Where the new constellations nightly rise, 

And add a lustre to the northern skies. 

We are told, you see, that Jupiter snatched the bears 
through the air and threw them up into the sky. It 


12 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


seems quite likely that in order to do this he grasped 
them by the tails as he whirled them about to cast 
upward, and you will agree with me that if he did 
this, it might well account for the long tails of the 
unhappy bears that now appear in the sky. 

According to another story, in the olden times it 
was thought that the sky was made of glass, and this 
glass sky touched the earth on all sides. It was a 
different sort of glass from the sort we have nowa¬ 
days, for the story says it was soft and thin so that 
you could drive a nail through it without breaking it. 
Once upon a time, someone nailed a bearskin to the 
glass sky, using seven nails, and later the nail heads 
became stars, and now they shine for us every night 
to show us where the Bearskin hangs in the sky. 
The tail of the Bear is represented by three bright 
stars, as you see in the picture, and these are called 
the “handle of the Great Dipper.” 

Many interesting stories about the Bear are re¬ 
lated by the Indians of this country which you will 
be especially glad to know because they were 
“made in America.” 

An Iroquois Indian story is as follows:—A party 
of hunters were once chasing a bear, but before they 
were close enough to kill him they met three monster 
stone giants. The giants were very angry at the 
hunters and tried to kill them, and being very strong 
they succeeded in killing all but three of the Indians. 
Suddenly, these three hunters and the bear were 
carried up to the sky by invisible hands, and now 
form the star-picture of the Bear. The three stars 



Astronomy and Geography 

From a mural painting by Will H. Low, in the New York State Education 

Building, Albany. 











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V*u 


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CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


13 


in the tail of the Bear are the three hunters, and they 
are seeking the Bear in the sky. The first hunter 
carries a bow, the second a kettle to cook him in 
when they have killed him, and the kettle is repre¬ 
sented by the little star Alcor which, if your eyes are 
sharp, you will see close to the star called “Mizar.” 
If you are unable to see it with the naked eye an 
opera glass presents a beautiful view of the star with 
its bright companion. The third hunter carries 
sticks with which to light a fire when the bear has 
been killed. In the autumn the first hunter hits the 
bear, and the blood-stains from the wounded bear 
colors the autumn foliage red. 

The Zuni Indians thought that, when winter comes 
the Bear goes into his den where it is snug and warm 
and there he sleeps, instead of guarding the westland 
from the cold of the ice-gods who breathe out the 
chilling frost upon the land. In the spring the Bear 
awakens hungry and goes forth from his den in 
search of food, and his growling is heard in the thun¬ 
der that mutters when the spring breaks the chains 
of cold that the ice-gods have wrapped about the 
world. 

An interesting Basque story about the Bear in the 
sky is as follows:—A farmer once had two of his oxen 
stolen by two thieves. He sent his servant after 
them, and when, after a time, his servant did not 
return, he sent his housekeeper and dog to catch the 
thieves. After waiting a long time he lost his tem¬ 
per, which is always a bad thing to do, and decided 
to go after the thieves himself. Because he lost his 


14 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


temper with his servants, who were doing the best 
they could to catch the thieves, he was taken up to the 
sky together with his oxen, the thieves, his servants, 
and even the little dog, and there we see them all in 
this star-picture. The first two stars in the Dipper 
are the oxen, then follow the two thieves repre¬ 
sented by the other two Dipper stars, after these we 
see in the remaining three stars in the figure one after 
the other, the servant, the housekeeper, last of all 
the farmer, and even the dog is included and repre¬ 
sented by the star Alcor. 

The Arabs used to call the stars Mizar and Alcor, 
the “Horse and the Rider,” and with them this pair 
of stars was a test of good eyesight. 

The Basque people also thought this star-picture 
looked like a farmer’s wagon, and they say that at one 
time a farmer was driving along near the shore of the 
Lake of Galilee and met our Saviour on the road. 
He had a good heart and offered our Lord a ride. 
For showing this kindness he was rewarded by a place 
in heaven, together with his wagon, and we see them 
both in this wonderful star-picture. The star Mizar 
represents the wagon and Alcor is the kind farmer. 

Whenever we look at the stars Mizar and Alcor we 
will always bear in mind what they represented in the 
old stories, the Indian and kettle, the housekeeper 
and dog, the horse and rider, the wagon and farmer, 
and remembering these stories will always make the 
sight of these stars a pleasure to us. 

In England, the seven bright stars that form the 
Dipper, are known as the “Plough” or “Wain,” for 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


15 


to many this star-picture looks like a plough, or wain 
which is another name for wagon. Those who think 
it resembles a wain, regard the three stars in the 
handle of the Dipper as three horses, hitched tandem, 
that draw the wain. 

There are two stars in the Dipper that I want to 
call your attention to especially, for there is a fact 
concerning them that is very important for everyone 
to know. These stars are the first two in the Dipper, 
their names are Dubhe and Merak, or Alpha and 
Beta, but best known as “the Pointers.” You will 
see, if you turn back to the sketch of the star-picture 
drawn for you, that, if you start at the star Merak 
and draw a line through the star Dubhe and a little 
ways farther, that you come to an arrow underneath 
which you will see the word “Polaris.” This means 
that if you follow this line with your eye, about the 
same distance in the sky that the star Dubhe is 
from Benetnasch, which is the name of the star in 
the tip of the Bear’s tail, you will see a star as bright 
as Dubhe. This star is called ‘‘Polaris,’’ the ‘‘North 
Star,” or the “Pole Star,” and it is the most impor¬ 
tant star in all the sky. This is why you should 
know just where it is, and exactly how to find it. 
Remember this rule and you will always be able to 
locate Polaris whenever you can see the Dipper. 
If a line connecting the “Pointers” is extended on¬ 
ward in the sky a little over five times its own length 
it ends close to Polaris. If you will look at the 
sketch of the Dipper showing the positions in which 
we see it at different seasons of the year, you will see 


l6 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


the line drawn from the Pointer stars and that the 
arrows locate Polaris no matter what position the 
Dipper takes. This is such an easy rule to learn I 
feel sure that you will memorize it. The rule is 
never failing, and whenever it is a clear night you 
can always locate the north point in the sky. This, 
of course, gives you the other points of the compass, 
for if you face north the south point is back of you, 
the east point is at your right hand, the west at your 
left. Thus you have on clear nights a bright radio¬ 
compass of stars that is a useful possession. 


URSA MINOR 
THE LITTLE BEAR 


17 


jUr a a, ^Lajot 




URSA MINOR 
18 








URSA MINOR (er'sa mi'nor)—THE LITTLE 
BEAR. (Face North.) 


The next star-picture that I will show you is a 
companion picture to the one of the Great Bear. It 
is called the “Little Bear” or the “Little Dipper.” 
As in the picture of the Great Bear, you must look for 
seven stars, but most of them are faint, so that it is 
only on clear nights, when the moon is not in the sky, 
that we can see all of the seven stars. 

The brightest star in the Little Bear is the star 
Polaris, or the North Star, which I have already 
pointed out to you, so you know just where to look 
in the sky for the first of the seven stars in this pic¬ 
ture. In the early evenings in autumn, starting 
with Polaris, look to the left and you will see four 
stars about an equal distance apart in a line that 
curves slightly downward. The first three of these 
stars, counting from Polaris, are faint, but the 
fourth star, the one at the end of the line is almost as 
bright as Polaris and this star you will easily locate. 
The name of this star is “Kochab,” and a little to the 
left of it you will see a star not quite as bright as 
Kochab. These two stars are called the “Guard¬ 
ians of the Pole” because they circle about it con¬ 
stantly, keeping, as it were, careful watch over this 
precious jewel in the sky. 


19 


20 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


The poet Lowell, writing of this star-picture in one 
of his poems, calls it: 

The Bear that prowled all night about the fold of the 
North Star. 

You will realize how watchful the “Guardians of 
the Pole” are when I tell you that at all times of the 
night, and at every season of the year, the guardians 
are always to be found between the Great Bear and 
Polaris, so that the Bear, in spite of the fact that he 
is close to the North Star, has no chance of ever 
harming it. 

If you will look at the drawing of the star-picture 
you will see that I have connected the dots repre¬ 
senting the stars with lines, thus outlining the figure 
of the Little Dipper. The faintest of the seven 
stars in the picture is the star marked “iq”; this is 
the Greek letter eta, which is the name of this star. 
If the night is perfectly clear you can see this star, 
but you must not expect to see it if there is an electric 
arc light near you, for all artificial light is to be 
carefully avoided if you would see the sky pictures 
to best advantage, just as the movies are best seen 
on the screen when the theatre is darkened. 

The operator of our movie machine causes all the 
stars in the Little Dipper to circle around Polaris, 
just as the boys and girls with joined hands circle 
about the one who stands in the centre when the 
game of “Ring around the Rosy” is played. 

You have all seen a domestic animal tied to a stake 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


21 


in a field. Imagine that each of the stars in the Little 
Bear are bound to Polaris with a cord; the length of 
the cord being the distance between each star and 
Polaris. The stars all move around Polaris at the 
cord’s length, at the same time, just as the animal 
moves about the stake. The animal, however, can 
move nearer the stake if it wishes to, but each star 
must move at its own cord’s length from Polaris. In 
the following sketch I show you each of the stars in 
the Little Bear connected to Polaris with a line. 
Through each star runs a circle which the star must 
follow as it turns about Polaris once in every twenty- 
four hours. 

The stars circle opposite to the way that the hands 
of a clock move, and the Guardian of the Pole, now 
on watch at the left of Polaris, will, in a short time 
appear below that star and later on be seen to the 
right of it. To get this motion clearly in mind, place 
a sheet of thin paper over the drawing and trace the 
seven dots representing the stars in the Little Bear, 
then stick a pin through the dot which represents 
Polaris and turn the picture about contrary to the 
movement of the hands of a clock, and you will re¬ 
produce exactly the motion of the stars as they 
ceaselessly circle the Pole, making one complete 
revolution every twenty-four hours. 

These circling stars make an excellent time-piece; 
in a short time if you study the position of the 
Guardians of the Pole closely you will be able to 
make a good guess as to what time of night it is. 

Is it not wonderful that we should have here pro- 


22 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


vided for our use for all time a reliable compass, 
time-piece, and I may add calendar, of service to us 
every clear night of our lives? 



The daily path of the stars in the Little Bear. 


You will see that the Little Bear follows in his 
turning the acrobatic example set by his mother, but 
performs his feats on his own hook so to speak, 














CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


23 


being an independent sort of a bruin. While the 
Great Bear appears on all her four feet, looking her 
best, her cub is performing a somersault, and now 
seems to be balanced on the tip of his nose. In 
order that you may have his best picture before you 
I show him standing on all fours grubbing about for 
food, which I fear is difficult to find and very high 
in Starland. 

A beautiful Indian story about the Little Bear is as 
follows:—Once upon a time a hunting party of In¬ 
dians lost their way in the forest, and being in doubt 
which way to go, prayed to the gods to show them the 
way homeward. While they were praying, a little 
girl appeared to them and told them that she was 
the spirit of the Pole Star sent to be their guide. 
Following her they reached home safely, and ever 
thereafter they called the “Pole Star,” the star 
which never moves! When the hunters died they 
were.carried up into the sky and every clear night we 
can see them in the stars of the Little Bear following 
the Pole Star faithfully. 

You will recall that, according to the old story, the 
Little Bear represents Areas, the son of Callisto, 
who was saved from a cruel deed by Jupiter’s kindly 
act. 

. . . the star on starry night 
The seaman singles from the sky, 

To steer his bark forever by. 

This star which the poet Moore mentions, is Polaris, 
and the chief object of interest in this star-picture, 
the importance of which as a true guide has been 


24 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


explained. Because of this fact Polaris was a star 
of the greatest service to mariners. This famous 
star, which has been called “the lovely northern 
light,” is the star above all others which has proved 
of the greatest practical use to man, and is conse¬ 
quently best known and most celebrated of all the 
stars. As the poet Lucan expresses it: 

Of all yon multitude of golden stars, 

Which the wide rounding sphere incessant bears, 

The cautious mariner relies on none, 

But keeps him to the constant pole alone. 

And the poet Dryden thus describes the reliance 
placed in Polaris as a guide to the early navigators: 

Rude as their ships were navigated then, 

No useful compass, no meridian known, 

Coasting they kept the land within their ken 
And knew no north but when the Pole star shone. 

The fact that this star always pointed the way to 
the north was known at a very early date in history. 
As we find the first navigators of the far East relying 
on the sight of this star to show them their way 
across the uncharted seas, so, too, we discover that 
the importance of this star as a guide was known to 
the primitive inhabitants of Central America, and 
many other widely separated lands. 

The Arab name for Polaris was “the Kid,” and 
they imagined that it was the “hole in which the 
axle of the earth was borne”; their astronomers, 
however, called it “the star of the north.” 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


25 


Shakespeare, in his play of Julius Ccesar , thus 
alludes to Polaris: 

. . . constant as the northern star 
Of whose true fixed and resting quality 
There is no fellow in the firmament. 

During the Civil War, escaping slaves and North¬ 
ern prisoners were guided by the friendly beams of 
this star as they endeavored to make their way north¬ 
ward, and, likewise, in the late World War, a 
knowledge of Polaris was of great service to prisoners 
escaping from Germany. 

Truly this star has been a beacon of hope, a faith¬ 
ful friend to all, and we should have the greatest 
admiration and respect for it. Learn to know' Polaris 
well, and as often as you gaze on its cheering beams 
recall in gratitude the great service it has rendered 
and is ever conferring on all mankind. 

The celebrated American poet William Cullen 
Bryant, has written a poem to Polaris, entitled 
“Hymn to the North Star,” wdiich is too long to 
quote here, but which you will enjoy reading now 
that you know this famous star. The concluding 
lines of this poem are as follows: 

On thy unalterable blaze 

The half-wrecked mariner, his compass lost, 

Fixes his steady gaze, 

And steers, undoubting, to the friendly coast. 

And they who stray in perilous wastes by night 
Are glad when thou dost shine to guide their footsteps 
right. 











CASSIOPEIA 

THE LADY IN THE CHAIR 


27 


A. 


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3 

Oe 

X 


Discovered by 


J .4' . 

M • Marfak 


% 






% 



Cepheus 


A 









CASSIOPEIA 

28 





CASSIOPEIA (kas-i-o-pe'-ya)—THE LADY IN 
THE CHAIR. (Face North.) 


We will now look for the sky-picture of the fa¬ 
mous Queen Cassiopeia, who appears seated in her 
chair or throne of stars. 

The picture is an easy one to find, and contains five 
stars that are fairly bright. You must face north to 
see this picture, as you did when you were out hunting 
for the Bears. The star Polaris is to be found al¬ 
ways halfway between the Great Bear and the star- 
picture of Cassiopeia. If you draw a line from the 
star Mizar in' the Great Bear to Polaris and extend 
it up the sky the same distance, the end of the line 
will be close to the star-picture of Cassiopeia. You 
have in the two pointer stars, Mizar and Polaris, un¬ 
failing guides to enable you to find Cassiopeia in 
whatever position it may happen to be. 

Look at the large picture of the night sky in 
autumn, holding the book upside down to get the 
correct view of the sky as you face north, and you will 
see Cassiopeia on the opposite side of Polaris from 
the Great Bear. 

What will strike your attention at once in this 
star-picture is a zigzag row of five stars of almost 
equal brightness, that forms a queer shaped letter 
“ M ” which looks as if it had been pulled out of shape. 

29 


30 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


It is hard to understand how anyone could have 
seen in this row of stars a lady seated in a chair. 
The picture as we see it does look something like a 
broken-backed chair, but for the graceful figure of 
Queen Cassiopeia we must look at the picture that 
has been drawn of her. 

In the summer-time when this star-picture is be¬ 
low Polaris the letter “M” is turned upside down 
and looks like a letter “W.” 

Just to the left of the star marked “*” or 
“Kappa” as it is called, you will on the diagram 
a little square and the date 1572. This marks the 
spot where a bright new star appeared in this year 
which was first seen by a noted Danish astronomer 
by the name of Tycho Brahe, and this new star is 
known to us as “Tycho’s Star.” It was so bright 
when it was first discovered as to be visible in full 
sunshine. For some time after its appearance this 
bright star was called the “Stranger,” or the “Pil¬ 
grim Star,” and the “Star in the Chayre.” The 
star gradually faded from view and by March, 1574, 
had entirely disappeared. 

It may seem strange to you that new stars appear 
in the sky, but the appearance of “Novae,” as new 
stars are called, is not an unusual occurrence, though 
few have appeared that are as bright as Tycho’s 
Star. Astronomers cannot account for these new 
stars, but they are working on the problem and some 
day we may know the reason for their appearance. 

In the meantime those who know their geography 
of the sky well, and look at the star-pictures often, 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


3i 


have the best chance of detecting a new star, 
which is a wonderful discovery. Whenever you are 
out at night always look up at the stars, and if you 
know the pictures well you will see at once if there is 
a bright new star in any one of them. If you should 
be so fortunate as to find a new star it is your 
duty to telephone the fact to the nearest Observatory 
where those in charge will be greatly interested in 
your discovery. 

We will now look at the stars in this picture. The 
one called “Caph” was named by the Arabs, and it 
means ‘ ‘ the Hand ’ ’ which was one of the Arab names 
for this star-picture. 

The star marked “y” which astronomers called 
“gamma” was known to the Chinese as a “Whip.” 

Ruchbah is an Arab star name meaning “the 
Knee,” and the star Marfak was called by them “the 
Elbow,” both of these stars occupying their proper 
places in the picture. 

While you have been looking at this picture of the 
Lady in the Chair, you have no doubt noticed the 
strange milky or cloud-like appearance of the sky 
that is all about the stars in the picture. It is some¬ 
thing quite unlike anything you saw when you were 
looking at the pictures of the Bears. This is the 
famous “Milky Way” that extends across the sky 
like a broad band, and Cassiopeia seems to be in the 
midst of it. The cloudy appearance is due to the 
fact that the Milky Way is composed of a great multi¬ 
tude of faint stars which the telescope reveals. It is 
as if the stars were swarming as perhaps you have 


32 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


seen bees or insects do in their flight from place to 
place. 

On a clear night you can trace the Milky Way for a 
long distance and you will see that it is broken up in 
many places, and has the appearance of a “piece of 
ribbon which has been snipped by scissors in pure 
mischief, or it may be compared to a river broken 
up into many channels by rocks and obstacles in its 
course. ” In a later chapter you will find some of the 
interesting stories that have come down to us about 
this wonderful band of stars that seem to bind the 
sky with a golden girdle. 

The star-picture known to us as Cassiopeia is ex¬ 
ceedingly old. It is said to date back as far as 
3500 years before the birth of our Saviour. Ac¬ 
cording to the old stories Cassiopeia, was the beauti¬ 
ful wife of Cepheus, King of Ethiopia, and the 
mother of Andromeda. Cepheus and Andromeda 
both appear in the sky-picture and I will point them 
out to you later. 

The beautiful Cassiopeia does not appear to have 
been very wise, for a knowledge of her beauty made 
her vain and conceited, so much so, that she openly 
boasted that she was more beautiful than the sea 
nymphs, which was saying a great deal. 

The sea nymphs were very angry with Cassiopeia 
when they learned of her foolish boasting, and in¬ 
formed the god Neptune, who ruled the sea, of the 
insult to them. Neptune considered their case a 
good one, and to punish Cassiopeia for her vanity 
sent a sea monster to prey upon the coast of Ethiopia. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


33 


Later, he felt that this was not punishment enough, 
and accordingly he forced Cassiopeia to chain her 
dearly loved daughter to a rock on the seashore 
where she was exposed to the danger of being killed 
or carried away by the cruel sea monster. The 
sequel of this tragic story will be told you in the 
stories about the star-pictures of Cetus, Perseus, 
and Andromeda. 

In order that an everlasting example might be 
made of Cassiopeia, to ever remind mankind of the 
folly of conceit, she was placed by the gods among 
the stars in such a way that she would be forever com¬ 
pelled to circle about Polaris in the northern sky. 
Although she has a chair to hold on to she often ap¬ 
pears in the sky upside down which is undignified in 
a Queen and an unpleasant position, to say the least. 
As the poet Aratos writes: 

She head foremost like a tumbler sits. 

Cassiopeia is sometimes called “Heaven troubled 
Queen,” and “Unhappy Cassiopeia,” which are good 
names for her considering the punishment inflicted 
on her. 

The poet Milton thus refers to Cassiopeia: 

. . . that starred Ethiop’s queen that strove 
To set her beauty’s praise above 
The sea nymphs and their power offended. 

Cassiopeia is a good example of the variety of pic¬ 
tures that the people of many lands imagined in the 


34 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


same star-picture. We have been told that the 
Arabs fancied they saw a Hand in these stars. They 
also called this star-picture “the kneeling camel.” 
The Egyptians called it “the Leg,” the Eskimos a 
“stone lamp,” and the Greeks a “Key.” 

The poet Aratos thus alludes to this name for our 
sky-picture: 

Not many are the stars nor thickly set 
That, ranged in line mark her whole body out, 

But like a key that forces back the bolts 
Which kept the double door secured within 
So shaped her stars you singly trace along. 

Queen Cassiopeia belongs to the so-called “Royal 
Family” of Starland and plays an important part 
in the well known story of Perseus and Andromeda 
which will be told you when you know these star- 
pictures. 


CEPHEUS 
THE KING 


35 


2 

ODeneb 
° in 
Cygnus 


Caph 


Alderamin 


4 

V 





CEPHEUS 


\ 

\ 


Polaris q 


,0 


Ooa 


CEPHEUS (se-fas)—THE KING. (Face North.) 


Cepheus illumes 

The neighboring heavens; still faithful to his queen. 

Not all the star-pictures are as bright or as 
easily found as the three you now know. The one I 
will next show you is rather faint and difficult to find 
and for this reason it is not known to many people. 
It is useless to look for it except on a clear night 
when the moon is not in the sky. 

The name of this star-picture is Cepheus, the King. 
This is the way to find it: Let the pointer stars of 
the Great Bear guide you to Polaris, and then ex¬ 
tend this imaginary line up the sky for a distance a 
little more than the distance separating the stars 
Dubhe and Megrez in the Great Bear, and you will 
see a faint star about as bright as the star Marfak 
in Cassiopeia. This is the star Er Rai in the star- 
picture of Cepheus. 

Another way to find this picture is to draw a line 
from Schedar to Caph in Cassiopeia, and extend it 
onward about twice its length. If you do not find 
Cepheus readily look carefully at the large plate 
showing all the stars, holding the book upside down. 
Look also at the diagram which shows you Cepheus 
37 


38 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


with the stars Caph and Polaris above and below it 
respectively. 

This star-picture, like Cassiopeia, contains only 
five stars of importance. In Cepheus the stars in 
the diagram are connected with lines, and the figure 
looks not unlike the rough outlined sketch of the 
front view of a house with a very steep roof. I think 
you will have no difficulty in finding the picture if 
you study the maps closely and follow the directions 
I have given you. 

When you have found the picture you will see that 
a line drawn from Alderamin through the star Alfirk 
points to Polaris. This will prove to you that you 
have found the picture of the King in the sky. 

A little above the star Alderamin, and just to the 
left of the line drawn on the diagram upward from 
this star, you will see a small dot representing a 
faint star marked ‘ V,” called by astronomers “Mu 
Cephei.” I want you to find this star in the sky and 
look at it with an opera glass, for it is a very beauti¬ 
ful object. Because of its color, which is garnet, it is 
often called the “Garnet Star,” and it is the reddest 
naked eye star in the sky; for this reason it is well 
worth seeing. To see the color of the star to ad¬ 
vantage, compare its light with that of the star 
Alderamin when the garnet color of Mu will be at 
once noticeable. 

The brightest star in this picture is Alderamin, 
which “beaming bright is on the shoulder placed.” 
To the Arabs this star name meant the “right arm.” 

The Arabs called the star Alfirk “a flock,” and the 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


39 


star Er Rai '‘the shepherd.” One of the fainter 
stars in the picture they knew as “the dog,” and 
other stars near-by were known to them as more 
members of the flock of sheep. You see how natural 
it was for the shepherds to see in certain stars a like¬ 
ness to the scenes they were familiar with in their 
daily lives. If we had the naming of the star-pic¬ 
tures to-day in all probability we would give them 
such names as “the Automobile,” “Aeroplane,” 
“Locomotive,” all familiar objects in the life of the 
times. 

The star marked known to astronomers as 
“Delta Cephei,” is an interesting star and worthy 
of our attention. If we had a small telescope we 
would see that instead of the one star we see by the 
naked eye, it is really a double star. Two beautiful 
stars are visible in the glass, the larger one of a deep 
yellow color, the smaller of a slightly bluish tinge. 

Few people know that there are such wonderful 
and beautiful objects in the sky as double stars, but 
the telescope reveals thousands of them, and many 
of them are exceedingly attractive objects to observe 
because of the contrasted colors of the twin stars. 

Delta Cephei is an interesting star for another 
reason:—It is a Variable star, and this means that 
its light is not always the same. Most people think 
that the light of the stars never changes, but such is 
not the case, and some stars that are visible to the 
naked eye gradually become so faint that they cannot 
be seen even in small telescopes. 

Astronomers can account for the change of light in 


40 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


some of the Variable stars, but they do not know why 
the light of Delta Cephei varies. At its brightest it 
is about equal in brilliance to the star marked 
which astronomers call “Iota Cephei.” During the 
course of five days and eight hours its light gradually 
diminishes a little over a magnitude, or two and one 
half times, and then brightens up to its original 
brightness. Anyone can follow with the naked eye 
the remarkable and interesting changes of light in this 
star, and it is well worth while to do so, for we have 
here presented to our view a wonderful problem that 
all our knowledge does not enable us to solve. 

The star-picture of Cepheus the King representing 
as it does, the figure of the father of the Royal 
Family of Starland, was held in high esteem in very 
early times in the world’s history. We find the 
King’s story in the literature of Greece as far back as 
the fifth century before the birth of Christ, and it is 
said that the star-picture of Cepheus was known to 
the Chaldeans 4200 years ago. 

Cepheus was the King of Ethiopia, and, as we have 
seen, was the husband of the beautiful but unfortu¬ 
nate Cassiopeia, who is placed near him in the sky. 
Cepheus plays only a small part in the story of the 
sacrifice of his charming daughter Andromeda, which 
will be told later. Perhaps this is why this star- 
picture is such a faint one. 

The King is shown in the picture as seated on his 
throne in regal state, holding his sceptre upraised in 
his left hand, and holding his robes with his right. It 
is claimed that Cepheus was one of the famous band 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


4i 


known as “the Argonauts,” who went with Jason on 
his dangerous expedition in quest of the golden 
fleece. Because of the part he took in this journey 
Cepheus was given an honorable position in the sky, 
even if his stars are not as bright as those in other 
pictures. 

The Chinese, who are a very old people, and who 
studied the stars attentively, also considered this 
star-picture a royal one for they placed here the 
Inner Throne of the Five Emperors; but the Arabs, 
as we have seen, pictured in this place a simple every¬ 
day sort of a picture, a shepherd and his dog guarding 
a flock of sheep. Goats, calves, and camels were also 
a part of this pastoral scene in the sky. 















DRACO 

THE DRAGON 


43 


The heel of 
Hercules 
o 
7 



Lyra 




DRACO 

44 



DRACO (dra'-ko)—THE DRAGON. (Face 
North.) 


You now know four of the five circumpolar star- 
pictures, those that continually circle Polaris, and 
which you can see at any time of the year. It only 
remains to show you the picture of Draco, the 
Dragon, to complete your knowledge of the stars of 
the northern sky. 

Please look at the special map of the circumpolar 
star-pictures. You will at once note the positions 
of the four pictures that you know, and you will see 
that Draco is well named “the Dragon” for it is a 
long-drawn-out picture and coils about between the 
Bears. 


Here the vast Dragon twines 
Between the Bears and like a river winds. 

The Bears seem to keep guard over the Dragon 
and prevent it from harming the royal pair, King 
Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia. The tip of the 
Dragon’s tail is marked by the star 4 ‘ Giansar.’’ You 
will see this star just off the line that directs you 
from the pointer stars in the Great Bear to Polaris, a 
little way from Dubhe. 

Start With the star Giansar, and look to the left 

4i> v 


46 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


about midway between the Bears and follow a row of 
four faint stars; then look up the sky, swinging to 
the right toward Cepheus you will see three more. 



The circumpolar star-pictures as they appear in the early evening in mid¬ 
autumn to an observer facing north. 


A little farther up the sky note a small triangle of 
stars with a star at the right and above it; at this 
point turn your eyes to the left, and look for two 







CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


47 


stars. Then a short distance farther on to the left 
is a fourth magnitude star; drop down a little ways 
from this star to the head of the Dragon marked by a 
small four-sided figure outlined on the map. 

Briefly stated, the directions are as follows: Start¬ 
ing with the star Giansar, you trace the stars to the 
left till you clear the tail of the Great Bear, then look 
up the sky swinging to the right till you are about in 
a line with the star Er Rai in Cepheus. Look to the 
left a little way and you will see the figure that marks 
the head of the Dragon. 

It is hard to follow closely the directions for finding 
the star-pictures, and the best plan is to flash your 
light for a second at the map and then look up in the 
sky. In order that the light may not dazzle you, it 
is a good plan to place a piece of thin red tissue 
paper over the flash light which is easily held in 
place by a rubber band. If you will memorize the 
positions of the star-pictures shown on the map I 
think you will have little difficulty in finding the 
Dragon. 

The head of the Dragon is about the same distance 
from the Little Bear as the Little Bear is from the 
tail of the Great Bear. When you think you have 
found Draco see if this statement is true; if so, you 
have succeeded in your quest. 

There are several stars of interest in this star- 
picture. The star Thuban was the Pole Star or the 
Polaris of the sky about the year 2790 B.c. It is a 
little difficult to understand why this is so, and an 
explanation is out of place in a guide book to the 


48 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


stars. You will find the subject fully explained in 
any good book on astronomy. 

Owing to its prominent position in the sky, 
Thuban was formerly a star of great importance, and 
it has borne these high-sounding and illustrious 
names: “Judge of Heaven,” “High Horned One,” 
“Proclaimer of Light,” “High One of the Enclosure 
of Life,” “The Favorable Judge,” “Life of Heaven,” 
“The Prosperous Judge,” and “Crown of Heaven,” 
so we have quite a number of names to choose from. 

Four thousand years ago the light from Thuban 
could be seen both by day and night from the bottom 
of the central passage of the Great Pyramid of 
Cheops, at Ghizeh, in Egypt. It is thought that in 
the olden times Thuban was a much brighter star 
than it is to-day. 

What an extremely interesting fact this is! When¬ 
ever you look at this star, think of what it meant to 
the Egyptians who worshipped this star as we do 
God, thousands of years ago, and what a reverence 
they must have had for its silver light which streamed 
down that dark and narrow passageway, three 
hundred and eighty feet long, till it touched and 
illuminated the altar in the inner recesses of the 
wonderful pyramid. Surely the stars are worth 
knowing when they can bring to mind such inter¬ 
esting thoughts as these. 

The brightest star in this picture is “Eltanin,” 
known to the Arabs as the “Dragon’s head.” It is 
orange in color, and a star of importance and interest 
in all ages. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


49 


In Egypt, where the stars were worshipped and 
wonderful temples were built in their honor it was the 
custom to build the temples in such a way that the 
light of a star, when it rose over the eastern hills, 
would shine directly down a long passage constructed 
for this purpose. Just as if you were to stand in a 
long dark railway tunnel that ran east and west, at 
one time of the year you would see the sun rise di¬ 
rectly before you if you faced east, and the tunnel 
would straightway be brilliantly lit by the sunshine 
for a few moments. 

The Egyptians built many beautiful temples on 
this plan with passageways directed to the rising 
point of certain bright stars. A knowledge of these 
facts makes these stars especially interesting to us. 

Eltanin was known to the Egyptians as “Isis,” and 
3500 B.c. they built, among others, the celebrated 
temple of Hathor at Denderah, dedicated to the 
worship of this star. Another temple built to this 
star was built at Thebes, and it is of interest to know 
that in 1130 b.c. a temple to Isis was built in the 
Greek city of Thebes, which was the capital of 
Boeotia and known as the “City of the Dragon.” 
Thus we see that the worship of this star spread from 
Egypt to Greece, and we even find it worshipped in 
Italy at an early date in the temple of Isis at Pompeii. 

Eltanin is also an object of particular interest to 
astronomers as observations of it by Dr. Hooke led 
Dr. Bradley to discover the laws of the aberration of 
light, which is a matter too deep for us to explain 
here. This was a very important fact to establish, 


50 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


and this star will always be a memorial set up on 
high in honor of Dr. Bradley’s discovery. 

The old stories that have come down to us relating 
to the Dragon are somewhat confusing. By some, this 
is the monster serpent that guarded the golden apples 
in the wonderful garden of Hesperides. One of the 
tasks that the mighty Hercules had to perform was the 
picking of this well-guarded fruit, and he had a desper¬ 
ate encounter with the Dragon which he finally suc¬ 
ceeded in killing, and made off with the golden fruit. 

Draco was also said to be the dragon slain by 
Cadmus, the hero of Thrace. In this case the 
Dragon was said to guard some sacred water which 
Cadmus was ordered to procure. With the assist¬ 
ance of Minerva, Cadmus conquered in his fight 
with the Dragon which he slew, and plucked out its 
teeth. These he sowed in a field when immediately 
a great number of armed men appeared. 

O’er all the field the breathing harvest swarms 
A growing host; a crop of men and arms. 

Cadmus feared for his safety, but the men at¬ 
tacked each other and there was a battle royal. 
Only five men survived this bloody conflict, and these 
helped Cadmus to build the city of Boeotia which 
since that time was called the “City of the Dragon.” 

Another story is as follows: In the war with the 
giants, the goddess Minerva seized the Dragon and 
hurled it into the northern sky, where it became en¬ 
tangled in the axis of the heavens, and there we 
behold it sleeping to this day, coiled about the Pole. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


5i 


In all these stories you see that the Dragon was 
slain in a fight, and its dead form was placed in the 
sky. The Evil One in the Garden of Eden is repre¬ 
sented as taking the form of a serpent, and perhaps 
these stories symbolize the triumph of man over the 
powers of evil. This idea is carried out further in 
some of the star-pictures which appear in the summer 
months, and which I will point out to you later. 


• • 



AlieLdra.n • 



The eastern and northeastern night sky in mid-autumn. 


TAURUS 

















AURIGA 

THE CHARIOTEER 


53 




AURIGA (aw-ry'-ga)—THE CHARIOTEER. 

(Face Northeast.) 

No doubt while you have been looking at the stars 
in the northern sky, your attention has been at¬ 
tracted to a bright and beautiful star in the north¬ 
east. This is the star Capella in the star-picture of 
the Charioteer. It is the brightest star in the north¬ 
eastern sky in the early evening in mid-autumn, and 
the nearest bright star to Polaris, and is one of the 
most beautiful in all the heavens. 

A line drawn from the head of Draco through 
Polaris, extended a little over its length, ends close 
to Capella, as does a line drawn from Phad, in the 
Great Bear, through the Bear’s head and prolonged 
a little over its length. A glance at the map of the 
stars in this region of the sky at this time of the year 
shows the position of Auriga. 

This star-picture contains five stars, besides Capella, 
that are fairly bright, and when lines are drawn con¬ 
necting these stars you have a clearly defined 
five-sided figure which is very easy to find and 
unmistakable. 

Capella is so situated in the sky that, as it circles 
Polaris, it can be seen at some time of the night every 
month in the year. For this reason it is especially 
worth knowing. In October it rises at sunset almost 
55 


56 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


exactly in the northeast, so that if a cloud covered 
Polaris that did not extend to Capella, you could get 
your compass bearings from this star. 

The following facts regarding Capella, that Tenny¬ 
son called “a glorious crown,” are of interest in 
passing, even if this book is intended to be a simple 
guide to the stars: 

And scarce a star with equal radiance beams 
Upon the earth. 

Capella is a pale yellow star, similar in age and 
color to our sun which is also a star, a fact that is not 
generally known. It is much larger than our sun 
and gives out at least one hundred and twenty times 
more light. Its light takes nearly forty-nine years to 
reach us, so distant is this giant sun from us. It has 
been found that light travels at the rate of 186,000 
miles a second. This is almost unthinkably fast, 
and it is wonderful that we have been able to 
measure a rate of speed as rapid as this. 

Capella has a companion that circles about it in a 
little more than a hundred days, but so close to it as 
to be invisible even in our largest telescope. You 
will wonder how we know this is so if we cannot see 
the companion. An instrument called the spectro¬ 
scope, which is one of the most wonderful ever in¬ 
vented, reveals the fact, and what is more, it tells 
us what the stars are made of, and how fast they are 
moving toward or away from us. The spectroscope 
has revealed that many of the stars have close com- 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


57 

panions that we do not see because of their great 
distance from us. 

Capella is traveling away from us at the rate of 
about twenty miles a second, and to-night it is more 
than a million miles farther away from us than it 
was last night. We would naturally suppose that 
at this great speed away from the earth that it would 
be only a short time before it was lost sight of, but 
space is so great that it takes hundreds of years to 
notice a change of this sort. 

The star name Capella means literally “the little 
shegoat,” and the star is frequently called “the 
Goat Star.” Because of its beauty and brilliance it 
is a star famous in the history of all ages. 

The Arabs called it “the Driver,” “the Singer,” 
and “the Guardian of the Pleiades,” the famous little 
star cluster in the picture of Taurus that I will tell 
you of later. 

According to an old story, the god Jupiter in play¬ 
ing with the Goat broke off one of her horns. To 
make amends for this misfortune he ordered that the 
possessor of the broken horn should have it filled with 
whatever he wished, and it was called “the Cornu¬ 
copia” or “Horn of Plenty.” You see these at 
Christmas time filled with candy adorning the Christ¬ 
mas tree. Whenever you see one now you will be 
reminded of the star Capella. 

The ancient Peruvians of South America called 
Capella “ Colca,” and it was a favorite star with their 
shepherds as it was with the shepherds of far eastern 
lands. In India, Capella was a sacred star, and 


58 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


known as “the Heart of Brahma,” and in Egypt 
many temples were dedicated to its worship. 

In spite of the beauty of Capella it was not a fa¬ 
vorite star with the mariners of olden times. They 
called it “the Rainy Goat Star,” and “the Kids.” 
The poet Aratus wrote: 

Capella’s course admiring landsmen trace 
But sailor’s hate her inconspicuous face. 

Callimachus, a poet of the third century wrote in 
like vein: 

Tempt not the winds, forewarned of dangers nigh, 

When the Kids glitter in the western sky. 

There is much more to be told concernng this cele¬ 
brated star, but we must pass on to the other stars in 
the picture. 

Close to Capella you will see three faint stars that 
form a small triangle. If you are not quite sure that 
you have found Capella look for this little triangle, 
and if you see it close by a bright star you may be 
sure the star is Capella. These three stars repre¬ 
sent the kids that the Goatherd carries in his lap, 
while on his shoulder you see the goat represented 
by the star Capella. 

The star “Menkalinan,” which is receding from 
us rapidly, has a close companion invisible in the 
telescope but revealed by the wonderful spectro¬ 
scope. Below it, look with an opera glass for the 
fine star cluster marked 37 M. It is surprising what 



The Forge of Vulcan 

In the Ducal Palace, Venice 










































CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


59 


even an opera glass will reveal of the beauties of 
Starland. When you go out at night to look for the 
star-pictures always take such a glass with you and 
you will be amply repaid with the wonderful sights it 
reveals. 

The star “Nath” is a star common to two star- 
pictures, Auriga and Taurus, the Bull, the red eye of 
which, represented by the ruddy star Aldebaran, 
you may see rising now low in the east. 

The star-picture of the Charioteer is extremely old. 
According to the ancient Greek story the figure repre¬ 
sents Erichthonius, the son of Vulcan and Minerva. 
He was deformed, it is said, and so could not get 
around very well. This fact led him to invent the 
four-horse chariot, which no doubt was as great a 
curiosity in its time as the first automobile that ap¬ 
peared in our day. This invention secured for 
Erichthonius, who became fourth King of Athens, a 
place in the sky, but why he is adorned with a goat 
and her kids we do not know. 

His art great Jove admir’d, when first he drove 
His rattling carr, and fix’t the youth above. 

Another name for this picture is the “ Reinholder, ” 
and we see in the figure the ends of the reins held in 
the driver’s right hand. 

According to another story, Auriga was the son of 
Mercury, and the Charioteer of (Enomaus the King 
of Pisa. He was reputed to be most skillful in the 
training of horses, and those trained by him were 
the swiftest steeds in Greece. 


6o 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


To account for the presence of the Goats and Kids 
we have this story: 

Almathea, the daughter of the King of Crete, had 
the honor of feeding the god Jupiter with goat’s milk. 
It is said that for this deed Jupiter rewarded her 
with a place in the sky where she figures as the goat. 
He gave one of her horns to the nymphs who had 
taken care of him in his infancy, and this horn was 
the horn of plenty that furnished its possessor with 
every wish. 


PERSEUS 
THE CHAMPION 



6t 


1 



o 





PERSEUS (per'-sus)—THE CHAMPION. (Face 
Northeast.) 

Perseus next 

Brandishes high in heaven his sword of flame. 

A glance at the map of the northeastern sky at 
this time, will show you where to look for the star- 
picture of Perseus, the Champion, which next claims 
our attention. 

The brightest star in this picture is Algenib, which 
is on the imaginary line drawn from Schedar in 
Cassiopeia to the star marked “i” (Iota) in Auriga, 
and is about midway between the two. 

Algenib has two companions, stars of about equal 
brilliance, on either side of it. The three stars are 
in a curved line resembling a bow which is called 
“the Segment of Perseus,” and serves to identify 
the picture. Perseus is perhaps best placed for ob¬ 
serving in the early evening, about October 1st, 
when it is rising in the northeastern sky. 

This picture lies in the Milky Way in a rich set¬ 
ting of twinkling stars. The region about Algenib 
is exceedingly beautiful when viewed in an opera 
glass. 

The star Algenib, meaning “the Side,” is also 
called “Marfak,” an Arab name signifying “the 
63 


64 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


Elbow.” It is lilac in color, and is about equal in 
brightness to Polaris. In the latitude of New York 
City it never sets. It is approaching us at the rate 
of six and one-half miles a second, but as it is forty- 
four light-years distant it will be many centuries 
before any increase in its brightness is noticed here. 

Perseus contains one of the most interesting stars 
in the sky, the noted variable star Algol, the posi¬ 
tion of which is clearly shown in the diagram. Its 
light variations are most striking and should be ob¬ 
served by everyone as one of the remarkable sights 
Nature presents to our view. 

It is said that Lalande, a famous French astrono¬ 
mer, used to remain whole nights, in his old age, on 
one of the bridges of Paris to show those who passed 
by the wonderful sight that the changes in the light 
of Algol present. 

For two and one-half days the light of Algol, 
which is about the same as that of Polaris and Al- 
genib, does not change, then it begins to grow gradu¬ 
ally dim, and in the course of nine hours is only as 
bright as a 3.5 magnitude star, which is a little 
brighter than the star “*)” Eta Persei, the second 
star above Algenib in the diagram. Algol remains 
dim for only twenty minutes and during the next 
four hours regains all its lost light. 

The best time to see this wonderful sight is in the 
early evening in the autumn. Compare the light of 
Algol with that of the stars Algenib and Eta. If it 
is as bright as the former star you will know that it is 
constant for the time being. If it is fainter you 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


65 


will know that a change is taking place, the nature of 
which will be revealed in a short time. If you see it 
as faint as Eta, watch it closely and you will see it 
brighten rapidly. 

The variations in this star were first noted by 
Montanari, in 1672. Goodricke in 1782 by frequent 
observations, was able to determine closely the time 
it took to complete one variation and explained the 
light changes as due to the revolution about Algol of 
a companion star. This discovery has been con¬ 
firmed, and what is more, and most wonderful to 
think of, we know the size of this invisible sun that 
circles about Algol, and its distance from Algol. 

You can illustrate the cause of the variation in 
the light of Algol in this way in your sitting-room 
some night: Let someone hold a lighted lamp or 
candle in his upraised hand, while a second person cir¬ 
cles about him. If you will gaze steadily at the light you 
will see it disappear when the person circling about 
comes between you and the light. In the case of 
Algol the eclipse is not total, so the person holding the 
light should raise it a trifle, in order that the person 
walking around the light-bearer does not wholly cut 
off the light from you. 

At nine o’clock on the evening of December 23d, 
Algol is almost directly overhead for those living in 
New York City. This star is approaching us with 
a speed of two miles a second, but it is so far away 
that we cannot measure its distance. 

The astrologers of old considered Algol the most 
unfortunate star in the sky. It represents the cele- 


5 


66 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


brated Medusa’s Head which the Champion holds 
in his outstretched hand. Algol has been called 
“Satan’s Head,” “the Spectre’s Head,” and “Double 
Eye.” 

A little beyond the star Eta, in the direction of 
Cassopeia, is the point in the sky from which the 
shooting stars, or meteors as they are properly 
called, seem to dart from. This shower is best ob¬ 
served about August i oth. If you are out looking at the 
northeastern sky at this time you may see these 
swiftly darting meteors. They are known as “the 
Tears of St. Laurence.” 

About midway between Perseus and Cassiopeia 
is one of the most beautiful telescopic objects in the 
sky. It is the double star cluster known as “the 
Great Cluster of Perseus,” and is situated in the 
sword-hand of the Champion. It is a fine sight, 
even in an opera glass, and you must not fail to look 
for it. 

The glory of this gorgeous spectacle is indescrib¬ 
able. In one of these clusters, at least one hundred 
stars may be seen in an area less than one quarter as 
broad as the face of the full moon. 

It was in the neighborhood of Algol that a new 
star blazed out February 22, 1901. It was dis¬ 
covered by Dr. Anderson, of Edinburgh. Within a 
day it was as bright as Capella, but a week later it 
had lost considerable of its brightness, and at the 
end of the year was no longer visible to the naked 
eye. 

According to the old story, Perseus was the son of 



Photo by Brogi 


Perseus and Medusa 

Bronze by Cellini at Florence 








































CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


6 7 


Jupiter and Danse. He was feared even in his in¬ 
fancy by his cruel grandfather Acrisuis, who, in 
order to put him out of the way, placed the infant 
Perseus and his mother in a chest and cast it into the 
sea. But our hero was destined to a nobler fate, 
and he and his mother were rescued from a watery 
grave by some fisherman, who carried the infant and 
his mother to Polydectes, King of Seriphus. The 
King had a kind heart and entrusted Perseus and 
his mother to the care of the priests of Minerva’s 
temple. The youthful Perseus displayed such at¬ 
tractive qualities that he soon became a great fa¬ 
vorite with the gods. At this point the stories vary 
a bit, but the one that seems most in keeping with 
the Champion’s noble character continues as follows: 
Perseus, in order to prove his gratitude to his Royal 
benefactor, determined to obtain the Medusa’s 
Head to present to the King at a great feast which he 
was to give. 

Medusa was the name of one of the three sisters 
who were called ‘ ‘ the Gorgons. ’’ They were terrible 
creatures, with tusklike teeth, brazen claws and yel¬ 
low wings. Their bodies were covered with impene¬ 
trable scales, their heads were crowned with hissing 
snakes instead of hair, and to look at one of them was 
to be turned into stone. Thus you will see that to 
secure Medusa’s Head was a task to daunt the 
stoutest heart. 

Luckily the gods favored Perseus with some very 
useful gifts for his perilous journey. Pluto gave him 
a helmet which rendered the wearer invisible. 


68 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


Minerva a shield that shone like a mirror, and 
Mercury bestowed on him winged sandals that en¬ 
abled him to fly through the air with ease, and a 
beautiful diamond dagger. 

Perseus, thus equipped leaped into the air, and 
guided by Minerva, discovered the three Gorgons 
asleep in a sea cave near Tartessus. He knew that 
one look at Medusa would turn him to stone and 
wisely held his shining shield so as to catch the re¬ 
flection of her face in it, and then, with a swift 
backward stroke with his magic weapon, he cut off 
her head with one blow, and flew off with it. 

The victor Perseus, with the Gorgon’s head, 

O’er Libyan sands his airy journey sped, 

The gory drops distilled, as swift he flew, 

And from each drop envenomed serpents grew. 

It is said that ever since this time the sandy desert 
of Lybia has been infested with snakes. 

You can imagine how delighted Perseus must have 
been to be able to present such a valuable gift to 
King Polydectes. 

The deed made our hero immortal, and at his 
death the gods placed him among the stars with the 
head of Medusa by his side. Later you will be 
told another noble deed that Perseus performed that 
relates to another of the star-pictures. 


ANDROMEDA 
THE CHAINED LADY 


69 




70 





ANDROMEDA (an-drom'-e-da)—THE CHAINED 
LADY. (Face East.) 


And there revolves herself, image of woe, 
Andromeda, beneath her mother shining. 

The star-picture of Andromeda as it rises in the 
eastern sky in the early evening about October ist, 
presents an extremely beautiful appearance. The 
map of this region of the sky shows it as it appears 
in November, much higher in the sky, and not so 
well placed for observation as it is earlier in the 
autumn. 

You will observe that the picture is located to the 
right of Perseus, and below Cassiopeia. The stars 
Almach in Andromeda, Algol and Algenib in Per¬ 
seus, form a right-angled triangle which in this case is 
like the letter “L” reversed, thus: j, with Algol at 
the point where the lines meet. 

Start with Almach which is a trifle fainter than 
Algenib, and to its right, and at a distance a trifle 
greater than that separating Almach and Algol you 
will see a star about as bright as Almach, which is 
the star called “Mirach.” Proceeding to the right, a 
short distance on the same line brings you to “d,” 
Delta, and the last of the four bright stars in An¬ 
dromeda, called “Alpheratz,” lies above and to the 
71 


72 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


right of Delta. Delta, you will see, is about midway 
between Mirach and Alpheratz. 

The diagram shows this line of four stars clearly. It 
is a beautiful sight to see these stars rising over the 
eastern hills in the crisp air of the early autumn 
evenings. They resemble a line of lanterns swinging 
from an invisible wire across the eastern sky, light¬ 
ing the way for the figures that follow after them up 
the sloping sky. 

This star-picture is closely allied to the picture of 
Pegasus, the Winged Horse, its neighbor on the 
right, which I will show you some other night. Now 
I must call your attention to one of the stellar land¬ 
marks which is directly before us as we look at 
Alpheratz. 

You will notice on the diagram the object I have 
reference to, “the Great Square of Pegasus,” marked 
out by four stars nearly an equal distance apart. 
Alpheratz is the left-hand one of the four at this 
time, the remaining three stars that form the square 
are in the star-picture of Pegasus. 

It is always well to know prominent figures in the 
sky such as this, for it makes you independent of the 
North Star when you wish to get your bearings at 
night in case clouds should obscure the northern sky. 
In late Arabian astronomy the star Alpheratz was 
known as “the Head of the Woman in Chains,” and 
similarly in England two centuries ago it was called 
“Andromeda’s Head.” The spectroscope reveals 
the fact that there is a giant dark star circling about 
Alpheratz. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


73 


Almach is a triple star; where we see one star with 
the naked eye a good telescope reveals three stars, 
two of which can be seen in a small telescope of three- 
inch aperture. The stars are gold and blue in color, 
and the contrasting colors are very beautiful. This 
is one of the finest telescopic objects of its kind in 
the sky. 

A shower of meteors known as ‘ ‘ the Bielid Meteors, ’ ’ 
because they are thought to be connected with 
Biela’s Comet, is to be seen in this region of the sky 
in November and are worth looking for. In passing, 
it may be well to mention that these objects are not 
really stars, and should not properly be called 
“shooting stars” even if they do resemble them. 
The meteors are merely masses of matter of various 
sizes attracted to the earth. Like moths darting 
toward a brilliant light, they speed in our direction 
unseen by us until they reach our atmosphere, where 
they are set on fire by friction, as a match-head is 
when we draw it across a piece of sand-paper, and 
we see them in flames streaking across the sky leav¬ 
ing a fiery train. Most of the meteors are small and 
are burned up in their flight, and only their ashes 
reach the earth, but occasionally a very large one is 
only partly consumed and the remainder strikes the 
earth, often lighting up the whole countryside and 
buries itself in the ground, frequently exploding. 
We have many fragments from these meteors in 
our museums. Commander Peary brought back 
a huge one from Greenland which is on exhibi¬ 
tion in New York City. It is an irregular shaped 


74 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


mass of great weight composed chiefly of iron and 
nickel. 

There is an attractive little star-picture in this 
region of the sky just above Andromeda called 
“Gloria Frederika,” or “Frederick’s Glory.” The 
diagram shows its position in the sky. It is a “Y” 
shaped figure composed of four faint stars. 

The chief feature in the star-picture of Andromeda 
is the Great Nebula, the only one in the sky that can 
be easily seen with the naked eye, although, accord¬ 
ing to one of the best authorities, there may be 150 
thousand of them in the sky. The Great Nebula 
is a wonderful object which you must be sure to find. 

A nebula is gaseous in its nature and cloud-like in 
appearance. The Andromeda nebula, the position 
of which is shown on the diagram a short distance 
above Mirach, is a small hazy patch of light that you 
can see very well if it is a clear night and the moon is 
not in the sky. An opera glass reveals its nebulous 
character which is quite unlike the appearance of the 
stars. You will not think that it is much of a sight 
to look at, but in reality it is one of the most remark¬ 
able objects that the human eyes behold, if not the 
most marvelous. 

This “Queen of the Nebulae,” as it has been called, 
was known as far back as the year 905, and in early 
days was described as the “Little Cloud.” Simon 
Marius observed it December 15, 1612, and wrote 
that it resembled “the diluted light from the flame 
of a candle seen through horn,” which is a good de¬ 
scription as it appears to us to-day. 



Perseus and Andromeda 







CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


75 


Close study of the nebula has revealed that it is 
spiral in shape, resembling a loosely coiled spring, 
and that it is rotating on its axis with tremendous 
speed, much in the manner of an oval-shaped pin- 
wheel such as the boys set off on Fourth of July. 

The extent of this glowing cloud is beyond our 
thought or imagination. According to one estimate 
of its breadth the long way of its axis, it is more than 
500,000 times the sun’s distance from the earth in 
miles. The sun’s distance from us is about ninety- 
three million miles, and you now have some idea of 
the size of this faint nebulous object that seems of no 
consequence whatever. 

It is an enormous distance away from us, in fact 
everything that we know about the nebula excites our 
wonder and amazement. You must think of this 
when you look at this marvelous sight. 

The books on astronomy will give you a great deal 
of information about the nebula which is out of place 
here, and many fine photographs of it have been 
taken by our largest telescopes which you will be 
glad to see now that you have seen this sky-wonder 
with your own eyes. 

The story of Andromeda is a very old one. Her 
father was King Cepheus, her mother the beautiful 
but unfortunate Cassiopeia, so that we are already 
acquainted with her parents. You recall in the 
story of Cassiopeia that the Queen enraged the sea 
nymphs by boasting of her beauty, and that Nep¬ 
tune, to punish Cassiopeia, decreed that her cherished 
daughter Andromeda should be chained to a rock 


76 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


on the shore, where she would fall a prey to the 
terrible sea monster that had been sent to ravage the 
coast of Ethiopia. 

Thus we find the unhappy maiden with the chains 
about her wrists and ankles, bound to a rock by the 
sea awaiting her cruel fate. 

Chained to a rock she stood, young Perseus stay’d 

His rapid flight, to woo the beauteous maid. 

But now the hero appears on the scene, the gallant 
Perseus returning through the air with the Medusa’s 
Head happy in the thought of his success. From 
afar he spied the hapless maid, and at once alighting 
to leafri the cause of her distress, he naturally fell in 
love with her at first sight. You can well imagine 
how delighted Andromeda was to realize that a 
defender was at hand, and such a handsome young 
man besides. 

Suddenly, the awful sea monster appeared in the 
distance seeking to devour Andromeda. Whisper¬ 
ing words of encouragement to the beautiful Androm¬ 
eda, and bidding her shut her eyes lest the sight 
of the Medusa’s Head would turn her to stone, our 
hero leaped into the air. 

Charles Kingsley thus beautifully describes the 
approach of the monster of the deep: '‘On came 
the great sea monster, coasting along like a huge 
black galley, lazily breasting the ripple, and stopping 
at times by creek and headland to watch for the 
laughter of girls at their bleaching, or cattle pawing 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


77 


on the sand hills or boys bathing on the beach. His 
great sides were fringed with clustering shells and 
sea weeds, and the water gurgled in and out of his 
wide jaws as he rolled along, dripping and glistening 
in the beams of the morning sun. At last he saw 
Andromeda and shot forward to take his prey, while 
the waves foamed white behind him, and before him 
the fish fled leaping. Then down from the height of 
the air fell Perseus like a shooting star, down to the 
crest of the waves, while Andromeda hid her face.” 

It was all over in a minute. Perseus flashed the 
Medusa’s Head before the eyes of the monster, and 
when Andromeda opened her eyes she beheld nothing 
but a great black rock, over which the sea was 
breaking where once the sea monster had been. 

Perseus at once released the maiden and took her 
to her fond and bereaved parents, who you may be 
sure were delighted to have their daughter restored to 
them, and made much of her saviour. 

Of course Perseus married Andromeda and they 
lived happily ever after, and even in the sky, where 
the gods placed them at their death, we find them 
near together as true lovers should be. 








ARIES 
THE RAM 




79 


Algol 

D in 
Perseus 



Triangulum 


\ 


Hamal •- 


Y 

Musca - The Fly 


££ 

arje.s 7 


n Sheratan 


Mesarthim 


The 

Northern 
\ Fish^ 


A 

y'- \ 
xp \ 

o \ 

'V 

A1 Rischa o 






ARIES 

8o 





ARIES (a'-ri-ez)—THE RAM. (Face Southeast.) 
TRIANGULUM. THE TRIANGLE. 


Beneath Andromeda, three lines compose 
The Triangle. On two sides measured equal 
The third side less. 

Aratos. 

Directly below Andromeda, and to the right of 
Algol, you will see the small but attractive star-pic¬ 
ture called Triangulum, the Triangle, composed of 
three fairly bright stars. The figure was at one time 
called “Delta,” as it resembles the Greek letter of 
that name. 

First from the east, the Ram conducts the year. 

Below the Triangle and a little to the right is a 
small but important star-picture that bears the name 
of Aries, the Ram. The diagram shows its position 
clearly. A line drawn from Polaris to Almach in 
Andromeda, extended twenty degrees, passes through 
the Triangle and locates Hamal, the brightest star 
in the Ram. Twenty degrees is twice the distance 
separating Dubhe and Megrez in the Great Bear. It 
is very convenient to have a measuring rod of this 
sort when we survey the sky. 

8l 


82 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


Hamal is a yellowish star, a trifle fainter than 
Polaris. The star name is an Arab one, meaning “a 
Sheep.” This was a very important star in ancient 
days, and bore names such as “Arietis,” “Lulim” 
meaning “the Ram’s Eye,” and “Simal” or the 
“Horn Star.” At least eight of the Grecian temples 
were dedicated to the worship of this famous star. 
It is approaching us at the rate of nine miles a second, 
but as it is forty light-years away there is no danger 
of a collision in our time. 

The Arab star name Sheratan, means “the Sign.” 
Close to it is the star Mesarthim, which has been 
called the “First Star in Aries.” It is a beautiful 
double star in a small telescope, and was discovered 
by Dr. Robert Hooke in 1664, being one of the first 
double stars discovered. 

The importance of the star-picture of the Ram lies 
in the fact that it is the first sign in the Zodiac, but 
for reasons which it is not necessary to discuss here 
it is now the second star-picture or constellation in 
the Zodiac. 

The Zodiac is simply the imaginary pathway in 
the sky, which the sun, moon, and planets appear to 
travel along each year. It is divided into twelve 
equal parts, just as the dial of a watch is, and as we 
see the hands of the watch circling about the dial, re¬ 
vealing the time of day to us, so the sun, the golden 
hand of the world’s great timepiece, jeweled with 
stars, appears to circle on its well-worn path, revealing 
to man the time of year. ^ 

The twelve divisions of the Zodiac are each marked 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


83 


by a star-picture, and as the Ram is the first one of 
these pictures that we have come to in our study of 
the sky, it is well at this point to tell you a little more 
about this time-honored pathway circling the 
heavens. 

Probably every nation on earth in early times has 
had a Zodiac, made up for the most part of animals. 
Just why animals were selected to mark the twelve 
divisions of the year, we do not know. Of course in 
olden times there were no clocks, and it may interest 
you to know how the Zodiac was divided into twelve 
equal parts. 

First a jar was filled with water which was allowed 
to drip through a tiny hole drop by drop into another 
jar placed below it. As the first drop fell they made 
a note of what bright star was rising in the eastern 
sky. All day long the drops fell one by one, and 
when the star they had marked appeared again in 
the same place, they removed the upper jar, and had 
in the lower one the amount of water that had dropped 
into it in twenty-four hours. This water they 
divided into twelve equal parts, and they procured 
twelve small jars, each capable of holding a twelfth 
part of the water. They now poured all the water 
into the first large jar and placed under it one of the 
small jars, which they began filling drop by drop. 
They repeated this process with all the twelve small 
jars, noting the star that was rising as each small 
jar was filled. In this way they divided the sky into 
twelve equal divisions and each was clearly marked 
in the sky with a star. Around these stars they 


8 4 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


grouped others, thus forming the star-pictures of the 
Zodiac that have come down to us. 

They called the first star-picture of the Zodiac “the 
Ram,” as sheep raising was an important feature of 
the life of early times, and the Ram was a suitable 
leader for the flock of stars that followed along the 
path they had marked in the sky. 

The twelve signs of the Zodiac are very important 
and as we will study all of these star-pictures, it is 
well to remember the names as they come in order. 
To assist you in this the following lines of an old 
rhyme are worth memorizing: 

The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins, 

And next the Crab, the Lion shines, 

The Virgin, and the Scales. 

The Scorpion, Archer, and the Goat, 

The Man that pours the Water out, 

The Fish with glittering tails. 

A great deal that is interesting could be written 
about the Zodiac, but it is out of place here, and we 
must pass on now to the story of the Ram. 

Aries has been called the “Prince of the Zodiac,” 
“Prince of the Celestial Signs,” and the “Leader of 
the Host of the Zodiac.” 

According to one legend this is the Ram into which 
Zeus, the most powerful of all the ancient gods, 
changed himself, to escape the pursuit of the giants. 

The well-known story of the Ram that has come 
down to us relates that this is the famous Ram with 
the fleece of gold. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 85 

The golden fleece, you remember, was the object of 
the Argonaut’s heroic quest. 

According to the story, Phrixus and Helle were 
the children of Athamas, King of Thessaly. Their 
stepmother treated them cruelly. Mercury took 
pity on them and sent a Ram with golden fleece to 
enable them to escape from their wicked mother. 
This they were glad to do, and mounting on the Ram’s 
fleecy back they were borne through the air over 
land and sea. Helle unfortunately fell from the 
Ram’s back while they were crossing the strait divid¬ 
ing Europe from Asia. In memory of this sad event 
this strait was ever afterwards known as the 
“Hellespont,” but better known perhaps as the 
“Dardanelles.” 

The poet Manilius has recorded the fact in the 
following lines: 

First golden Aries shines, who whilst he swam 
Lost part of’s freight and gave to sea a name. 

Phrixus landed safely at Colchis, at the eastern 
end of the Black Sea. In gratitude for his safe de¬ 
liverance he sacrificed the Ram and gave its golden 
fleece to JEtes, the King of the Country, who hung it 
in the sacred grove of Ares, where it was guarded by 
a dragon that never slept. 

The fleece was later carried off by Jason and the 
Argonauts, but that is another story. 

Jupiter placed the faithful Ram among the stars, 
where now it is a link in the golden girdle encircling 
the sky. 







0 


0 













































PISCES 
THE FISHES 


87 




PISCES 

88 







PISCES (pis'-ez)—THE FISHES. (Face South¬ 
east.) 

And here fantastic fishes duskily float. 

Mrs. Browning. 

To the right and below Aries, and in the Zodiac, 
you will see by consulting the diagram the star- 
picture of Pisces, the Fishes. 

Two lines of faint stars form a rude letter “V” 
with long extended sides. The Great Square of 
Pegasus lies just above this “V,” and if it should 
chance to fall, would be securely wedged in it! 

The Fishes, as you will see in the picture, have 
ribbons tied about their tails; these ribbons are 
joined and knotted together, and thus the Fishes can 
never get away from each other, and are prevented 
from swimming about in the sky. 

The little circle formed by faint stars called “the 
Circlet,” where the Western Fish is located, is an at¬ 
tractive object which you will have no difficulty in 
seeing if it is a clear night. It is situated just below 
Pegasus. 

The spot marked by a star a little to the left 
of the Circlet, shows you the Vernal Equinox, which is 
not as bad as it sounds. This is simply the point on 
the path of the Zodiac where two imaginary lines 
89 


90 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


meet. These lines are traced out on the sky for 
reasons that we need not discuss here. On the first 
day of spring the sun reaches the crossing point of 
these lines, which is the place in the sky marked by 
the 

The following illustration will help you to under¬ 
stand this matter a little better: Imagine that the 
sun is an automobile that is speeding around a circu¬ 
lar track, which we will call the Zodiac. The track 
is crossed in several places by state roads, and the 
crossing points are all named, just as many of our 
grade crossings are. The place in the sky I have 
called your attention to is the crossing called ‘ ‘ Vernal 
Equinox,” that the automobile reaches the first day 
of spring each year. 

The Babylonians, Syrians, Persians, Turks, and 
Greeks, all regarded this star-picture as representing 
two fishes. The part of the sky that they occupy, 
and quite a large region about it, was known in very 
early times as “the Sea,” and here we find, as we 
would expect to, the Dolphin, the Fishes, and as we 
will see later, the Whale and the Sea-Goat. 

The two Fishes are known as the ‘ ‘ Northern Fish,” 
which is located just to the right of Aries, and the 
“Southern Fish,” which you will see below Pegasus. 

The Arabs knew the two ribbons tied about the 
tails of the Fishes as the “Flaxen Thread.” These 
ribbons are joined in a knot marked by the star 
Al-Rischa, meaning “the Cord.” 

According to the old Greek story: The beautiful 
Venus and her son Cupid were one day walking on the 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


9i 


banks of the River Euphrates. Suddenly, they saw 
approaching the terrible giant named Typhon, who 
had, it is said, one hundred heads like those of 
a serpent, and flames of fire darted forth from 
his mouth and eyes, which must have caused 
the Fire Department of those times considerable 
anxiety. 

Venus and Cupid were naturally terrified at the 
sight of this awful creature, and to escape from him 
threw themselves into the river and took the form of 
two fishes. When Typhon arrived on the scene his 
prey had vanished, and you can picture his disap¬ 
pointment. To commemorate this fortunate event 
Minerva placed two Fishes among the stars, where 
they have seemed quite contented ever since. 

Many people in olden times thought that the stars 
had great influence over the lives of men and women 
and affairs of state. Before deciding anything of 
importance they consulted the stars through their 
wise men, and these men informed them as to what 
they should, or should not, do. 

Some of the star-pictures were favorites, and any¬ 
one born when they were rising, or prominent in the 
sky, was, they thought, sure to be lucky all the rest 
of his days. Other pictures were just the reverse, 
and were thought to have an evil influence over the 
lives of men. The star-picture of the Fishes was 
considered most unlucky. Both the Syrians and 
Egyptians refused to eat fish on this account, and 
the picture of a fish in Egypt was considered as an 
odious sign. 


92 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


Of course, nowadays, we do not believe that the 
stars concern in any way the lives and plans of man¬ 
kind, for we know that they are too far away to have 
any sort of an effect of this kind on us. 


TAURUS 
THE BULL 




o 



► o 

t 



Cetus 


TAURUS (tau'-rus)—THE BULL. (Face East.) 


I mark stern Taurus, through the twilight grey. 

Taylor. 

Following Auriga and Perseus up the slopes of 
the eastern sky, there rises in the early evening in 
mid-autumn, the beautiful star-picture of Taurus, 
the Bull. 

Taurus is especially well placed for observation 
about February ist, when it is seen about due south 
in the early evening, and about halfway up the sky. 
By April ist the Bull has moved into the western 
sky, and seems to seek the verdant pasture-lands 
beyond the boundaries of the horizon, where he 
peacefully spends the summer. 

A line drawn from Capella to (*) Iota in Auriga, 
extended a little over its length, points to the red 
star Aldebaran that marks the eye of the Bull. Al- 
debaran is also located by drawing an imaginary line 
from Alpheratz in Andromeda through Hamal in 
Aries, extending the line a distance a trifle more than 
its length. The star is unmistakable because of its 
ruddy hue. This “ruby of dazzling hue” is one of 
three red first-magnitude stars in the sky. It rises 
in the east at eight o’clock the middle of October, 
and with its glittering attendant stars, the cluster 
95 


96 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


known as “the Hyades,” presents a beautiful sight, 
as, like a king attended by his courtiers, he majestic¬ 
ally ascends the eastern sky to his starry throne. 

Aldebaran and four faint stars in the Hyades form 
a “V” shaped figure. In the autumn the “V” lies 
on its side thus: > as it is rising. 

Aldebaran 

The name Aldebaran in the Arab tongue means 
“the follower.” It received this name because it 
follows in the sky the famous cluster of stars called 
“the Pleiades” that are a part of the star-picture of 
the Bull. 

Taurus is the only star-picture in the sky that con¬ 
tains two naked-eye star clusters of note, and for this 
reason, and because it lies in the Zodiac, this star- 
picture has become famous in song and story in all 
ages of the world’s history. 

Look at the beautiful clusters of the “Hyades” 
and “Pleiades” with your opera glass if you would 
behold an entrancing sight. Because of the impor¬ 
tance of these clusters they deserve separate chapters 
in which to relate the interesting stories concerning 
them, for they have received universal attention 
since man first raised his eyes to the starry skies. 

Only half of the figure of the Bull is to be seen in 
the star-picture, just as in the case of Pegasus, only 
half of the Horse appears. The unseen part of the 
Winged Horse is hidden by imaginary clouds. In 
this case the Bull is supposed to be swimming with his 
hindquarters submerged beneath the waves. His 
horns are tipped with golden stars, and on the old 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


97 


charts he is represented as advancing to attack Orion 
the Giant Hunter. 


Go forth at night 

and talk with Aldebaran where he flames 
In the cold forehead of the wintry sky. 

Mrs. Sigourney. 

Aldebaran was known to the Arabs as ‘ ‘ the Eye of 
the Bull,” and, strangely enough, they also called 
this ruddy star “the Great Camel.” To the Hindus 
it was known as “Rohini,” meaning the “Red Deer,” 
while the ancient Akkadians called it “the Furrow 
of Heaven.” Thus we have quite a choice of names 
for this famous star, but the “Eye of the Bull” 
seems the most appropriate. 

In spite of its rather sinister appearance, Alde¬ 
baran was always considered a fortunate and lucky 
star. It was one of the four “Royal Stars,” or 
Guardians of the Sky of Persia 5000 years ago. 

Aldebaran is forty-five light-years away from us 
and said to be receding from us at the rate of thirty 
miles a second. Authorities claim that it gives out 
160 times as much light as our sun. Think what 
a glorious sight this ruddy sun must be from planets 
that possibly circle about it, and the sublime beauty 
of the sunrise in those distant lands. Aldebaran oc¬ 
cupies the fourteenth place in the order of brightness 
of all the stars in the sky. 

Aldebaran is one of three first magnitude stars 
that are red in color, the other two being Betelgeuse 
in Orion, and Antares in Scorpius. Few know that 
7 


98 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


we can tell a star’s age by its color, but such is the 
case. 

The giant red stars are the youngest, the three 
stars named above falling in this class, then come 
the yellow stars followed by the blue stars which are 
intensely hot and have reached the apex of their physi¬ 
cal activity and vigor. An example of this class is the 
beautiful star Vega. Next, are the yellow stars, de¬ 
clining in age in which class is our sun. 

The dying stars are the dwarfs, and red in color. 
They have shrunk in size and are losing their in¬ 
candescence. Thus we have red as a color indicating 
both youth and old age in stars, and their size informs 
us as to whether they are young or old. 

The star Nath, or “ El Nath ” as the Arabs called it, 
means in their tongue “the Butting One.” It is a 
star that is common to the star-pictures of Auriga 
and Taurus. 

The tip of the left horn, and the right foot 
Of the near Charioteer, one star embraces. 

Aratos. 

The star C Zeta which is below Nath marks the tip 
of the Bull’s right horn. In olden times for some 
reason or other, this star was supposed to have a mis¬ 
chievous influence over people. The central line of 
the Zodiac passes between the horn’s of the Bull. It 
is called “the Ecliptic.” 

Taurus, beyond doubt, is one of the oldest of the 
star-pictures, and for that reason it is teeming with 
interest. You must not be satisfied with the few 



The Rape of Europa 

Painting by Veronese. In the Ducal Palace, Venice 






CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


99 


stories that this book contains about the star-pic¬ 
tures, but must seek further for many interesting 
and entertaining stories that the people of many 
lands have written concerning the star-sown skies. 

Over four thtiusand years ago, the Bull marked 
the Vernal Equinox, the place in the sky that the sun 
reaches the first day of spring, which, as we have 
seen, is now in the star-picture of the Fishes. The 
entrance of the sun into this star-picture was in 
ancient times the occasion of great festivals and cele¬ 
brations, and they have even come down to our day 
in the May Day festivals when children go to the 
parks and dance about the May-Pole. 

In the study of the history of olden times we find 
the worship of the Bull almost universal. Centuries 
before the time of Christ we find that the Bull was 
worshipped in Persia and Babylon. Among the 
Egyptians Taurus was considered an emblem of im¬ 
mortality, or a perpetual return of life, and the 
celebrations in honor of the Bull are very like in 
their significance to our Easter celebration that 
commemorates the Resurrection. 

Once upon a time, according to an old Greek 
story, there lived in Phoenicia a very beautiful 
maiden named Europa. She was the daughter of 
the King, and the fame of her beauty spread into far 
lands so that it was natural that the gods who were at 
that time supposed to rule the world should hear of it. 
The great god Jupiter, having seen Europa was com¬ 
pletely infatuated with her, and in order to be 
near her he changed himself into a snow-white bull 


IOO 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


and joined the great herd of cattle that the King 
kept. 

Europa and her girls friends were one day having 
a picnic party on the seashore, and as they wandered 
about gathering flowers, the beautiful bull ap¬ 
proached them. He appeared to be so tame that 
Europa ventured to go close to him, and stroked his 
snow-white coat. She even dared to climb up on his 
back, but this was a fatal mistake, for no sooner was 
she seated than the bull dashed with, her into the 
sea, and carried the terrified Europa safely to Crete 
where Jupiter revealed himself and won Europa as 
his bride. 

The poet Tennyson thus refers to this exciting 
adventure:— 

Sweet Europa’s mantle blew unclasp’d, 

From off her shoulder backward borne; 

From one hand dropp’d a crocus; one hand grasp’d 

The mild bull’s golden horn. 

There is a beautiful painting by the noted artist, 
Paul Veronese, hung in the Ducal Palace in Venice 
that shows Europa sitting on the back of the bull. 

We must now pass on to the stories about the 
famous star clusters in Taurus, the “Hyades” and 
‘‘Pleiades.” 


THE HYADES 


IOI 










THE HYADES 


Who hears not of the Hyades, sprinkling his forehead 
o’er? 


A RATOS. 


The '‘V” shaped cluster of stars known as the 
Hyades is one of great beauty. The loveliness of the 
group is shown in an opera glass which reveals many 
seemingly happy mated jewels of various hues. 

The ruddy Aldebaran lights up the group, and the 
fainter stars we can liken to courtiers that follow in 
the steps of their royal master. 

The cluster has from ancient times been associated 
with the rainy season, perhaps because of the fact 
that the group rises in the fall of the year when we 
expect storms and bad weather that usher in the 
winter’s reign of desolation. Thus we find the 
cluster referred to as “the rainy Hyades,” and the 
poet Manilius calls them: 


the sad companions of the turning year. 


Various are the names given this star cluster by 
different people. We find it called “a Torch,” a 
‘ ‘Triangular Spoon. ’’ The Arabs knew the group as 
103 


104 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


“the Little She Camels,” Aldebaran representing the 
large Camel. 

The Hindus pictured here a wagon or temple, and 
the Chinese a net, although they called the cluster 
“the Star of the Hunter.” 

The early tribes living along the banks of the 
Amazon River in South America called the Hyades 
the “Jaw of an Ox.” 

The whole cluster seems in some way intimately 
related, as its stars are all receding from us at the 
rate of twenty-five miles a second. Like a flock of 
wild geese flying southward at the approach of winter 
this group of stars seems to seek a milder clime than 
ours beyond the reaches of infinity. 

The Hyades were supposed to be the five daugh¬ 
ters of Atlas, King of Mauretania, and half-sisters of 
the Pleiades. They were changed into stars on ac¬ 
count of their grief for the death of their brother 
Hyas, who was killed by a wild boar. Their sorrow 
was said to have been so great that they pined away 
and died. The gods pitying them changed them into 
stars and placed them together in the sky. They 
bear these attractive names:—Phaola, Ambrosia, 
Eudora, Coronis, and Polyxo. The fact that they 
shed such copious tears in their great grief may be 
the reason for the moist and watery reputation that 
they have always borne. 

According to another story the Hyades were the 
nurses of the infant Bacchus, and on their death 
Jupiter rewarded them for their faithful service by 
placing them among the stars. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


105 


With the Pleiades, the Hyades are the heralds 
that announce the coming of the brightest stars in 
the firmament, the glorious pageant of the winter 
stars that pass in nightly review before the Frost 
King. 










THE PLEIADES 


107 







THE PLEIADES 

The group of sister stars, which mothers love 
To show their wondering babes, the gentle seven. 

Bryant. 

We now come to what many consider the most 
interesting of all the star-pictures, certainly the most 
celebrated cluster of stars in the sky, for all the great 
nations and peoples of early times have felt the mys¬ 
terious influence and charm that surrounds the 
Pleiades and worshipped them. 

In spite of the fact that the cluster contains no 
conspicuously bright stars, it is probably the best 
known of all the star-pictures. Rising in the south¬ 
east in the early evenings of autumn the cluster 
immediately attracts attention. 

You can locate its position accurately by drawing 
an imaginary line from (y) Gamma in Cassiopeia to 
Algol in Perseus and extending it a short distance. 
A similar line drawn from Algenib in Pegasus to 
Aries and extended an equal distance furnishes 
another guide to the cluster. 

You should be able to see six stars in the group 
easily, and if you are keen of sight you will probably 
see seven or more, for there are a number of faint 
stars just at the limit of viability that have a fas- 
10 $ 


no 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


cinating and charming way of winking at us for an 
instant and then retreating from our view, flashing 
for all the world like fireflies on a dark night in 
summer. 

The poet Tennyson has thus expressed this pretty 
fancy in describing the cluster:— 

Like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid. 

Bayard Taylor likened the group to a swarm of bees 
upon the mane of Taurus, and the seven stars form a 
dipper-shaped group which has led many to call 
the cluster erroneously “the Little Dipper,” the 
proper name for Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. 

The cluster is mentioned in the Bible in the follow¬ 
ing lines:—‘ ‘ Canst thou bind the sweet influences of 
the Pleiades?” The charm and witchery of these 
twinkling timorous stars have come down to us 
through the ages, and even in this later day when 
men seldom raise their eyes to behold the beauty 
that the night skies reveal, the Pleiades fascinate 
and delight all who behold them. 

It is worth while bearing in mind when we look at 
the Pleiades and are only able to see seven stars in 
the group, that three thousand stars have been 
counted on a photograph of the cluster taken with 
one of our great telescopes, and that the entire group 
is caught in a net, as it were, of cloud-like matter 
that astronomers call a nebula. Like the Hyades, 
the stars in the cluster are moving in the same direc¬ 
tion as if the net which enfolds them were being 
drawn by an invisible hand into the fold of infinity. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


hi 


We find the Pleiades mentioned in China over two 
thousand years before Christ was born. The Egyp¬ 
tians worshipped these beautiful stars and called the 
cluster “Atauria,” meaning the stars of Athyr, 
(Hathor). 

The Pleiades were objects of importance and 
worship among the Aztecs, the early inhabitants of 
Peru, the Japanese, and the Hindus. All these 
people held festivals in memory of the dead in the 
month of November when the Pleiades reached their 
highest point in the sky at midnight. Even to¬ 
day we celebrate All Saint’s Day and All-Hallows 
Eve at this season of the year, and the history of 
these festivals can be traced back to the old custom 
of worship of the Pleiades. 

There is surely a great mystery here, for why 
should the people of so many lands widely separated 
from each other be particularly interested and at¬ 
tracted to this group to the point of worship, and why 
should they all, including ourselves, have celebrated 
the event of their midnight culmination ? We should 
never gaze at these beautiful stars without thinking 
of the great historical and religious interest they 
possess. 

The appearance of the Pleiades in the sky was, in 
ancient times, a matter of great interest to the 
farmers and tillers of the soil. Their rising with the 
sun heralded the summer season, and when they rose 
at sunset men knew that winter was at hand. In 
spite of the fact that South Africa and Peru in South 
America are widely separated, the natives of the 


112 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


former country called the Pleiades ‘'the hoeing 
stars,” while for the Peruvians they also had an 
agricultural significance, as the natives thought that 
the Pleiades governed and even created the crops. 

There is a tremendous amount of interesting lore 
concerning the Pleiades but space does not permit of 
recording it here, and we will pass on to the stories 
relating to this famous star cluster. 

The Hottentots had a curious idea concerning 
these stars. They said that they represented wives 
who shut their husbands out because they were poor 
marksmen and failed to hit the game they were 
hunting. 

Our American Indians regarded these stars with 
wonder, and believed that they represented seven 
young men who guarded the holy seed during the 
night, bearing out the widely known agricultural 
significance of this star group. 

One of the Indian stories about the Pleiades re¬ 
lates that once upon a time a party of Indians were 
out hunting, and having found a place where game 
was plentiful, they put up their wigwams while the 
children gathered to dance and sing. Presently an 
old man dressed in white feathers, with white hair 
that shone like silver, appeared among the children 
and ordered them to stop dancing lest evil befall 
them; but the children kept on dancing in spite of 
the warning, when all of a sudden they felt them¬ 
selves rising in the air. One exclaimed, “Do not 
look back for something strange is taking place,” 
but one of the children was disobedient and looked 



The Dance of the Pleiades 
Painting by Elihu Vedder 
























CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


ii3 

back, when immediately the child became a falling 
star. The other children reached the sky in safety, 
and we see them there in the star cluster of the 
Pleiades. 

According to another Indian story, there were once 
seven brothers who took the war path. One day 
they chanced to come upon a beautiful maiden living 
alone whom they adopted as their sister. One day 
they all went hunting except the youngest who re¬ 
mained behind to guard their adopted sister; but 
after a time he, too, went off hunting, leaving the 
maiden unprotected. Soon after he had gone a 
great buffalo appeared and carried off the maiden. 
The brothers on their return were distressed at their 
loss, and immediately started in pursuit. They 
finally discovered that their sister was imprisoned in 
a lodge in the very centre of a herd of fierce buffaloes. 
The youngest brother, to make up for his careless¬ 
ness in leaving his sister, tunneled a way under the 
buffaloes and into the lodge, and he and his sister es¬ 
caped through the tunnel. On their return home 
the brothers put up a very high iron fence about 
their home to protect their sister for they felt sure 
that the buffaloes would try to carry her off again. 
Soon after, the buffaloes enraged at their loss, at¬ 
tacked the Indians, beat down their fence with their 
hoofs, and would have killed the Indians, but just in 
the nick of time they were carried up to the sky 
where we see them represented by the stars in the 
Pleiades, and forever prevented from doing further 
harm. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


114 

A Shasta Indian legend is as follows:—The Coyote 
and Coon went to a dance together. Returning home 
the Coyote sent his children for some game he had 
killed, and when they brought it in, he prepared a 
grand feast. The youngest child was left out, and in 
anger told the Coon’s children that the Coyote had 
killed their father. The Coon’s children thereupon 
waited their opportunity when the Coyote was away 
from home and killed all his children excepting the 
youngest. On the Coyote’s return he looked every¬ 
where for his children and asked all things where 
they had gone. As he was searching he perceived 
a cloud of dust rising, and in the midst he saw 
the Coon’s children and his youngest child. He ran 
after them in vain, and the children rose to the stars 
where they became the Pleiades. The Coyote’s child 
is represented by the faintest star in the cluster. In 
winter, when Coons are in their holes, the Pleiades 
are most brilliant, and continually visible. In sum¬ 
mer, when Coons are out and about, the Pleiades 
are not to be seen. 

In mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daugh¬ 
ters of Atlas and Pleione; Atlas was the great giant 
who bore the whole world upon his shoulders. It is 
said that the Pleiades were placed in the sky because 
of their many good qualities, and for the love they 
bore each other, but another story relates that they 
were thus honored because of their sorrow at the 
task imposed on their father. In this regard they 
are like the Hyades, that were also said to have been 
placed in the sky by the gods out of pity for their grief. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


ii 5 

The names of these seven charming sisters have 
come down to us. They are very attractive names 
and the poet Aratos thus records them: 

These the seven names they bear 
Alcyone, and Merope, Celaeno, 

Taygeta, and Sterope, Electra, 

And queenly Maia, small alike and faint, 

But by the will of Jove illustrious all 

At morn and evening, since he made them mark 

Summer and winter, harvesting and seed time. 

The Pleiades have been likened to doves. It is 
said that Orion, the giant hunter of the sky, was very 
much taken with the beauty of the seven sisters. 
He would have called on them every evening if he 
could, but they did not fancy him at all, and as he 
insisted on coming to see them they besought Jupiter 
to help them. Jupiter accordingly took pity on 
them, changed them into doves and they flew away 
to the sky where we see them in the Pleiades. Orion 
has also a place in the sky not far from them, but 
luckily the Bull is near at hand to protect them, and 
they are safe from his advances. 

The Eskimos call the Pleiades “the Bear,” and this 
is their story about the stars : rf 

“A number of dogs were pursuing a bear on the 
ice. The bear gradually rose up in the air as did the 
dogs, until they reached the sky. Then they turned 
to stars and the bear became a larger star in the 
centre of the group, and is represented by the star 
Alcyone.” 


Ii6 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


One of the strangest facts concerning the Pleiades 
is the almost universal belief among the people of 
the ancient world that one of the seven sisters was 
lost or grew dim. The poet Aratos wrote: 

As seven their fame is on the tongues of men, 
Though six alone are beaming on the eye. 

There is little doubt that one of these stars was at 
one time brighter than it appears to us to-day. 

There are many interesting stories to account for 
the “lost Pleiad,” as it is called, though there seems 
to be a difference of opinion as to which of the seven 
sisters was lost. Some say it was Electra, the 
mother of Dardanus, the founder of Troy, who hid 
her face in order that she might not see the destruction 
of that city. The Greeks thought it was Merope 
who married a mortal, for which she felt disgraced 
and withdrew from the company of her sisters. Ac¬ 
cording to another story, one of the Pleiades was 
struck by lightning and removed into the tail of the 
Great Bear. 

The Iroquois Indians also had a legend respecting 
this famous star that appears to have been lost. They 
imagined that the Lost Pleiad was a little Indian boy 
in the sky, who was very homesick. When he cried 
he covered his face with his hands and thus hid his 
light. The legend is as follows:—“Seven little In¬ 
dians boys lived in a log cabin in the woods, and 
every starlight night they joined hands and danced 
about singing the ‘Song of the Stars.’ The stars 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


n 7 


looked down and learned to love the children, and 
often beckoned to them. One night the children 
were very much disappointed with their supper, and 
so when they danced together and the stars beckoned 
to them, they accepted the invitation and betook 
themselves to Starland, and became the seven 
Pleiades, and the dim one represents one of the little 
Indian boys who became homesick.” 

According to another legend concerning the Lost 
Pleiad, known to be current among the blacks of 
Australia, the Pleiades represented a queen and her 
six attendants. Long ago the Crow (the star 
Canopus), fell in love with the queen, who refused to 
be his wife. The Crow found that the queen and 
her attendants were wont to hunt for white edible 
grubs in the bark of trees, and changing himself into a 
grub hid beneath the bark. The six maidens sought 
in vain to pick him out with their wooden hooks, but 
when the queen tried to draw him out with a pretty 
bone hook he came out, and assuming the shape of a 
giant ran away with her. Ever since that time there 
have been only six stars in the group. 

The Dyaks and the Malays of Borneo imagine the 
Pleiades to be six chickens followed by their mother, 
who remains always invisible. At one time there 
were seven chickens, but one of them paid a visit to 
the earth, and there received something to eat. This 
made the hen very angry and she threatened to de¬ 
stroy the chickens, and the people on the earth. 
Fortunately the latter were saved by Orion, the 
mighty hunter. At that period of the year when the 


n8 CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 

Pleiades are invisible the Dyaks say that ‘ ‘ the hen 
broods her chickens.” When these stars are to be 
seen they say “the cuckoo calls.” 

The star Alcyone is the brightest star in the 
cluster, and is sometimes called “the light of the 
Pleiades.” This star has three companion stars, 
and the “Queen and her attendants” present a 
beautiful sight in a small telescope. 


PEGASUS 

THE WINGED HORSE 




PEGASUS 

120 




PEGASUS (peg'-a-sus)—THE WINGED HORSE. 
(Face South.) 


That poetic steed 

With beamy mane, whose hoof struck out from earth 

The fount of Hippocrene. 

Bryant. 

The star-picture of Pegasus, the next one on our 
program, is well placed for observation in the eastern 
sky about the middle of September, and in the west¬ 
ern sky the middle of January. In the early evening 
in mid-autumn it is well up the southern sky. 

Only the head and forequarters of the Horse are 
traced out by the stars, the rest of the animal being 
hidden in the clouds, the poets say. Pegasus is 
never seen in an upright position, so that any 
resemblance to a horse is difficult to see. 

The chief feature of interest in this star-picture is 
"the Great Square of Pegasus,” or "Big Diamond,” 
which I have already pointed out to you at the right 
of the star-picture Andromeda. 

Two parallel rows of stars represent the forefeet of 
the Horse, which appear to be pawing the sky. 
Their position is shown on the diagram. 

The stars in the figure are of no special interest al¬ 
though many of them have names that have come 
121 


122 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


down to us, which shows that in early times this was 
considered an important region of the sky. 

Markab is the name for “Saddle” or anything 
ridden upon. Scheat is a comparatively recent star 
name. The Arab name for this star meant “the 
Horse’s Shoulders.” 

Algenib is a name derived from an Arab star name 
meaning “the Side.” Enif signifies “the Nose,” 
and the star is found in the nose of the Horse. 

The star “ar” (Pi) is an interesting object in an 
opera glass, as it is a double star which you will 
enjoy looking at. 

The little star-picture or asterism of Equuleus or 
Equus, the Little Horse as it is called, is worth ob¬ 
serving. It is composed of faint stars, and is to be 
seen just to the right of the star Enif. Its position 
is shown on the diagram. 

The star-picture of Delphinus, the Dolphin, or 
Job’s Coffin, is just beyond Equuleus, and below 
Pegasus you will see a circle traced out by faint stars 
which is in the star-picture Pisces, the Fishes. These 
pictures will occupy our attention at another time. 

In the old legends Pegasus figures as the famous 
steed which sprang from the blood of Medusa after 
Perseus had cut off her head. 

According to the poet Ovid, his abode was on 
Mount Helicon. It is said that here, by striking the 
ground sharply with his hoof, he caused water to gush 
forth, and the famous spring thus formed was called 
Hippocrene, which may be seen by travelers to this day. 

Pegasus was tamed either by Neptune or Minerva, 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


123 


and for a time one of his duties was to carry the thun¬ 
der and lightning for Jupiter. His best service, 
however, was performed as the faithful steed of 
Bellerophon, the son of Glaucus, King of Ephyre. 

Bellerophon assigned himself the task of destroy¬ 
ing the Chimaera, a terrible monster that vomited 
flames of fire from its mouth. It had three heads, 
that of a lion, a goat, and a dragon. Minerva gave 
Bellerophon a golden bridle, and with this he suc¬ 
ceeded in catching Pegasus as he was drinking from 
the celebrated fountain at Pirene. 

Mounting Pegasus, Bellerophon leaped into the air 
and flew off to Lycia, the abode of the terrifying 
Chimaera, and quickly ended its life with his arrows. 

Jupiter took offence at Bellerophon because he had 
presumed to kill the Chimaera without consulting 
him, and to punish him sent a gad-fly which stung 
Pegasus just as Bellerophon had mounted him for his 
homeward journey. Pegasus naturally shied when 
this happened, throwing Bellerophon from his seat, 
and the unfortunate youth was dashed headlong to 
the earth. Pegasus, however, continued his flight 
upward to the vault of heaven, and Jupiter found for 
him an eternal pasture-land in the starry fields. Per¬ 
haps this is why Pegasus always appears to us to be 
flying skyward. 

As for the spring of Hippocrene that gushed forth 
when Pegasus struck the ground with his hoof, it is 
said that anyone who wishes to be a true poet must 
drink of its magic waters before he can write inspired 


verses. 





AQUARIUS 

THE WATER CARRIER 


125 


a a 


* 



The~Wafer3ax 





AQUARIUS (a-kwa'-ri-us)—THE WATER 
CARRIER. (Face South.) 


While by the Horse’s head the Water-Pourer 
Spreads his right hand. 

Our next star-picture is not very bright in stars 
but it is, nevertheless, very interesting, for it repre¬ 
sents an old man pouring water down the sky 
from a huge jar, but you must have a very vivid 
imagination to make out his figure. However, it is 
quite easy to imagine that the little clusters of stars 
that dot this portion of the sky represent a cascade 
of water falling down the sky, the drops here and 
there catching the brilliant gleam of the moon¬ 
light. 

An imaginary line drawn from Beta to Alpha 
Pegasi, extended its length, ends just to the left or 
east of a “Y” shaped figure composed of four stars 
which marks the water jar. Look a little to the 
right of the Circlet in the Fishes and you will surely 
see this attractive star group. 

With your opera glass look at the stars in the water 
jar, and then slowly trace your way down the sky, 
and you will see many beautiful groups of two and 
three stars. These represent the water falling from 
the up-turned jar. 


127 


128 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


. . . where his urn inclines 
Rivers of light brighten the wat’ry track. 

Strangely enough, the water instead of wasting 
away, according to the ancient notion of this picture, 
flows into the gaping mouth of a great fish, called 
Piscis Australis, the Southern Fish, that swims in 
the sea close to the shore where the hills in the south 
rise up to meet the sky. Surely this is a singular 
idea. 

I suppose that a fish just naturally takes to water, 
and cannot get enough of it, so the Southern Fish 
does not mind this “sky blue water” at all. If he 
did not like it he certainly would close his mouth, so 
my guess is that he quite enjoys this internal bath 
which they say is very good for everyone. 

The star-picture of Aquarius is very ancient, and 
the fact that it lies in the Zodiac is good proof of this, 
for at a very early date in the history of the race the 
path of the Sun among the stars was marked out and 
considered of great importance. 

The Egyptians thought that the floods on the 
River Nile were caused by the Water Carrier when, 
at setting, he dipped his jar into the river to refill it. 

The Water Carrier is best seen from August to 
November. As the sun is in this part of the sky 
from February to the middle of March, and the fact 
that this is a moist and inclement time of the year, 
makes the sun’s position near the water jar appropri¬ 
ate and significant. 

Some people have seen in the arrangement of the 



Photo by Hollyer 


Ganymede 

Painting by George Frederick Watts 








CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


129 


faint stars in this picture the outline of the map of 
South America. This is not difficult to see and I 
have outlined the figure on the diagram. 

The star Sadal Melik lies a little below the equator 
of the heavens. You probably know of the imagin¬ 
ary line known as the earth’s equator; just so we have 
its counterpart in the sky, and the sky is mapped out 
much as the earth is, in order that we may know the 
exact position of the heavenly bodies. 

Sadal Melik is an Arab star name meaning “the 
fortunate star of the King.” The star name Sadal 
Suud means “the luckiest of the lucky,” so if you 
wish to know some particularly favored stars (and 
who does not?), these stars are very good ones to 
choose. Even if they are not very bright they make 
up in good fortune what they lack in brilliance, and 
it is a true saying that “all that glitters is not gold.” 

According to an old Greek story, Aquarius repre¬ 
sents Ganymede, who was appointed cup bearer to 
the gods. He was said to be a very beautiful boy, 
and was cup bearer to his father the King of Troy. 
The great god Jupiter took a fancy to him, and one 
day as Ganymede was guarding his father’s flocks on 
Mount Ida, was taken up to the sky, and became 
cup bearer to the gods. 

The ancient Norsemen thought that this part of 
the sky was Wali’s palace, and that it was covered 
with silver, but by most of the nations of the old 
world this was the watery region of the sky called 
“the sea,” in which we find many of the sea creatures 
traced out in the stars. 








































' f|H 





























































> 








































PISCIS AUSTRALIS 
THE SOUTHERN FISH 























































































PISCIS AUSTRALIS—THE SOUTHERN FISH. 

(Face South.) 

Next swims the Southern Fish which bears a name 

From the South wind. 

Manilius. 

As you have been facing this part of the sky and 
studying Aquarius you have no doubt noticed the 
bright star low down and almost directly below the 
water jar, and wondered what its name was. 

This star bears the strange name of Fomalhaut, 
pronounced fo'-mal-o, which means “the Fish’s 
mouth,” and on the old charts of the star-pictures 
the star occupies this position. 

Many people who love the stars link Fomalhaut 
and Capella together in their thoughts as they rise 
almost at the same time of night in different parts of 
the sky. Of course Capella is much the brighter of 
the two, being fifth in the list of the brightest stars in 
the sky, while Fomalhaut is eighteenth, but Fomal¬ 
haut is in a region of the sky in which there are few 
bright stars and thus seems brighter than it really is. 

Fomalhaut is the farthest south of all the bright 
stars that are to be seen from our northern states. It 
was known to the Persians three thousand years be¬ 
fore the birth of Christ, and was the object of sun- 


133 


134 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


rise worship in the temple of Demeter at Eleusis in 
Greece. This star is the second one of the four Royal 
stars known to the ancients. It was a star that por¬ 
tended eminence, fortune, and power, and astrono¬ 
mers inform us that it is twenty-four light-years away 
from us. 

Mythology tells us that this star-picture took its 
name from the transformation that took place when 
Venus, terrified at the approach of the horrible 
monster Typhon, changed herself into a Fish in order 
to escape from him. 

On a very clear night if you can see well down to 
the southern horizon you can trace out the faint 
stars that form the figure of the Fish. The figure is 
seen to good advantage at eight o’clock, November 
8th. 












CAPRICORNUS 
THE SEA GOAT 


135 




/ 


136 




CAPRICORNUS (kap-ri-kor'-nus)—THE SEA 

GOAT. (Face Southwest.) 

. . . the Goat 

Dim in the midst, but four fair stars surround him, 

One pair set close, the other wider parted. 

Aratos. 

The star-picture of Capricornus, the Sea Goat, is 
to be seen in the early evenings of mid-autumn low 
doWn in the southwestern sky. At eight o’clock, 
October 1st, it lies almost directly below the Dol¬ 
phin, in the Zodiac, and to the right or west of 
Aquarius. 

An imaginary line drawn from the star alpha in 
Andromeda to alpha in Pegasus, extended a little 
over twice its length, points to a pair of fairly bright 
stars located in the heac( of the Sea Goat. 

The figure does not look the least bit like a goat 
but does resemble a cocked hat resting on its crown. 
Most of the stars in the picture are faint and it takes 
a clear night when the moon is not in the sky to trace 
out all the stars in the picture. 

The sun appears to move among these stars from 
January 18th to February 14th. As the poet Dante 
expressed it: 

The horn of the celestial goat doth touch the sun. 

137 


138 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


The authorities tell us that this is one of the oldest 
of the star-pictures, and its form has never been 
changed. Nowadays we prize highly everything 
that bears the mark of age, and yet how few realize 
that the most ancient stories of all are inscribed in 
the stars, and graven deep on the enduring scroll of 
the night sky for all people to read for all time. 

The pair of stars known as Prima and Secunda 
Giedi in the Goat’s head are prominent and they 
help us to locate the picture. 

Dabih is an Arab star name having the strange 
meaning, “the Lucky One of the Slaughterers.” 
Nashira, means “the Fortunate One,” or “the 
Bringer of Good Tidings.” These stars like those in 
Aquarius all seem to be lucky ones, and Capricornus of 
all the star-pictures was the favorite of the astrologers, 
those wise men of old who used to observe the stars 
in order to forecast the future. In an old almanac 
of 1386 we read: “Whoso is born in Capcorn schal 
be ryche and wel lufyd.” Those born between the 
dates December 21st and January 20th are born 
under this sign and according to the stars destined 
to be fortunate. 

Look at the star Dabih with your opera glass, and 
you will see that it is a charming double star, the 
colors of the two stars being yellow and blue. Those 
who love the vari-colored flowers will find in the 
garden of the star flowers many fascinating blooms 
to delight them, and although these lack the fragrance 
of the earth flowers, they never fade and grow closer 
to our hearts as the years advance. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


139 


It is an interesting fact to remember while we are 
tracing out the stars in Capricornus, that the planet 
Neptune, the most distant of the sun’s family, was 
discovered in the year 1846 not far from the star 
Deneb Algedi, or Delta Capricorni as astronomers 
would call it. This was a most extraordinary and 
interesting discovery, and you will find the story of it 
in the chapter on the Planets. 

Capricornus is said to have been named by the 
Chaldeans who lived in the far east many many 
years ago. It was called “the Goat” because that 
animal is always climbing up the mountain side in 
search of food. The sun when it reaches this star- 
picture appears to mount the sky and thus imitates 
the action of the goat, so you see the picture is really 
very well named. 

On the old maps that show us the star-pictures, the 
Goat is represented as having the tail of a fish. This 
may mean that the picture was intended to indicate 
the sort of weather that would prevail at the time 
of the year when the sun appeared to pursue its 
course in this region of the sky, for in the au¬ 
tumn we generally have a rainy spell before winter 
sets in. 

Capricornus has been known as “the Southern 
Gate of the Sun,” and “the Gate of the Gods.” It 
was thought that when men died their souls passed 
through these stars to the golden land of the here¬ 
after. Bearing this in mind, this region of the sky, 
in spite of the fact that it contains few bright stars, 
was highly regarded by the people of olden times 


140 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


which makes the picture of greater interest to 
us. 

In mythology, the Sea-Goat is said to represent 
the god Pan, or Bacchus. It is related that one day 
this god was feasting with some other gods near the 
banks of the river Nile, when suddenly the hideous 
monster Typhon appeared. He seems to have made 
it his business to take the joy out of life, an 
unenviable reputation, to say the least. 

To escape from this terrifying creature the gods 
had to think quickly, and they instantly changed 
themselves into different shapes. Pan leaped into 
the river, and the part of him that was under water 
resembled a fish, while the part above water was like 
a goat. Typhon must have been greatly surprised 
when he arrived on the scene to see nothing but a 
group of peaceful animals instead of the gods whom he 
had intended to slay. Jupiter was so much pleased 
at the quick wit of the gods that he placed Pan 
among the stars in the form of a Sea Goat. 

According to another story, the father of the gods 
gave one of the Goat’s horns to the nymphs who had 
nursed the infant Jupiter as a reward for their faith¬ 
ful service. The horn was a magic horn, and known 
as “the horn of plenty,” and whoever possessed it 
could have anything he wished for which made it a 
priceless possession. You recall that this horn of 
plenty figured in the story about the star-picture of 
Auriga. In that case it was the goat’s horn that the 
Charioteer holds in his arms. 

The fact that the horn of plenty is associated with 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


141 

this star-picture bears out the idea of prosperity and 
good fortune that seems to centre about this whole 
region of the sky, for some unknown reason, and 
renders it attractive to all who study the stars. 






THE STAR-PICTURES OF WINTER 



Q Stars of the first magnitude 
& Variable stars 
Nebula 


Map showing the principal stars visible from Lat. 40° N. at 9 o’clock, January first. 


144 








THE STAR-PICTURES OF WINTER 


“Midwinter’s suns:—when bleak and chill 
The frost king reigns o’er vale and hill. 

When nature sleeps as though in death 
The air is still—not e’en a breath 
When Earth lies ice-bound out of door 
We see midwinter’s stars once more. 

How glorious, sublime and bright 
These stars adorn yon dome of night; 

Ah! how inspiring is the sight— 

This threshold of the Infinite!” 

It is a trifle unfortunate that the night sky of 
winter should be so much more attractive and 
beautiful than that of any other season of the year, 
for it is then that the cold drives us indoors to the 
cheer of the open fire, and the “magnificent company 
of the winter constellations” meet the wondering 
and admiring gaze of few. 

However, if you bundle up well and do not stay 
out too long, your visit to Starland in winter will be a 
great source of pleasure to you, for the gallery of 
winter star-pictures contains many masterpieces of 
surpassing beauty. 

It seems as if the frost-sprites had burnished up 
the stars on winter nights so that they shine with an 
i45 


10 


N 





PERSEUS 


Castor 





PLEIADES 

•* • 

• • 

TAURUS 


a 




LEPUS 


The Southern mid-winter sky in the early evening. Turn the book upside 
down to get a correct view of the Northern sky. 


146 


CETUS 





CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


147 


increased lustre, and flash all the colors of the rain¬ 
bow to us in friendly greeting from unknown and far 
distant realms. The most beautiful stars in all the 
sky now light the heavens. Like the precious stones 
that the jeweler spreads before us when he sets his 
tray on the counter, we see on the jet background of 
the winter night sky the most brilliant display of 
star jewels imaginable. 

In beginning our study of the star-pictures we will 
first search for those that are most important, the 
pictures that, because of their position in the sky, 
we can see all the year round. To do this you must 
face the northern sky. 

Perhaps you do not know which way north is. If 
you have a compass the needle will inform you at 
once of the proper direction, but if not, you have only 
to recall that the sun appears to rise in the east. 
Stand with your right hand pointing east and you 
will be facing north. Locate the north point of the 
sky in the daytime, and then you will be able to 
follow the directions for locating the star-pictures. 

Turn to the map of the mid-winter sky, and hold 
the book upside down. You now have before you 
the correct view of the stars in the northern sky, 
as it appears in the early evening at this time of the 
year. 

Mother Earth, like a whirling dervish, is con¬ 
stantly spinning about, making one complete turn 
each day. This motion causes the star-pictures in 
the sky to appear to circle about Polaris, the North 
Star, and the five star-pictures, of the Great and 


148 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


Little Bear, Draco, the Dragon, Cepheus, and Cas¬ 
siopeia which are not far from Polaris, can be seen at 
any time of the year as they turn about the North 
Star. In turning they assume a variety of positions, 
and we must study them closely in order to be able 
to recognize them wherever they may happen to be. 

Facing north you will see seven fairly bright stars 
that form a figure resembling a dipper balanced on 
the tip of its crooked handle. This is the famous 
star-picture known as the “Big Dipper” or “Great 
Bear.” The handle of the Dipper is the tail of the 
Bear. For a full description of this picture turn to 
the chapter of the book describing the autumn 
stars. 

From the two uppermost stars in the Dipper you 
will notice on the map that an arrow points in the 
direction of a star. This star is Polaris, the North 
Star, probably the best known, and the greatest aid 
to man of all the stars. 

Whichever way the Dipper appears in the sky, an 
imaginary line drawn through these two stars, as the 
arrow indicates, and extended, always points to 
Polaris. With this knowledge you can always find 
your way if you should be lost at night. 

Swinging off below and to the right of Polaris, you 
will see the star-picture of the “Little Bear” or 
“Little Dipper.” The stars in this picture are for 
the most part faint, and you can only see all of the 
seven stars on a clear night when the moon is not in 
the sky. 

The two stars that are nearest the tail of the Great 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


149 


Bear and farthest from Polaris are the brightest, and 
are called ‘‘the Guardians of the Pole.” 

For a description of this and the other star-pictures 
in the northern sky turn to the chapter on the 
autumn star-pictures. 

Draco, the Dragon, curls about between the Bears. 
To the left of Polaris, and the same distance from it 
as the Great Bear, you will see an “M” shaped 
figure composed of five stars that are fairly bright. 
This is the star-picture of Cassiopeia, or the Lady in 
the Chair. Between this picture and the Dragon 
lies the picture of Cepheus, the king, composed of 
faint stars, but if you have a clear night you can 
trace out the stars which form a figure which 
resembles a house with a peaked roof. 

You will find all the names of the stars in these 
pictures on the map of the autumn night sky. The 
map of the winter night sky will show you exactly 
where each of the pictures mentioned above is 
located. 


















ORION 

THE GIANT HUNTER 


q Alhena 
in 

Gtemini 




ORION 

152 




ORION (o-rl'-on)—THE GIANT HUNTER. 

(Face South.) 

Behold Orion rise, 

His arms extended measures half the skies; 

His stride no less. Onward with steady face 
He treads the boundless realms of starry space, 

On each broad shoulder a bright gem displayed 
While three obliquely grace his mighty blade. 

Manilius. 

There is nothing of all that the naked eye beholds 
in the starry skies that equals in splendor and 
beauty the sight of the star-picture of Orion, the 
Giant Hunter, as he tops the snow-mantled eastern 
hills on a winter night, and strides majestically 
across the southern skies. 

This glorious star-picture because of its beauty 
and celebrity is the first of the winter night star- 
pictures to claim our attention. Unlike many of 
the star-pictures it is easy to locate on account of its 
many bright stars. 

To see the picture to best advantage we must face 
directly south in the early evening on some clear mid¬ 
winter night. Half way up the sky you will see the 
three “Belt stars” about equal in brightness to 
Polaris, arranged like steps that lead up the sky 
from east to west. 


153 


154 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


A glance at the map will show you how they appear 
in the sky, and their place in the Giant’s belt. You 
will note at once that these stars are enclosed in a 
four-sided figure, three of the corners of the figure 
being marked by brilliant stars. 

The Giant is represented on the old maps of the 
heavens as holding a lion’s skin before him as a 
shield. In his right hand is a club raised high, 
threatening to strike the Bull that is charging down 
upon him. Aldebaran, the bright red star in the 
Bull’s eye, you will see above Orion and to the right. 

Thus graced and armed he leads the starry host. 

Faint stars mark the club and lion’s skin, but the 
night must be clear to enable you to see them. 

Always see to it when you are observing the stars, 
that there are no artificial lights near by to dazzle 
your eyes. Use an electric pocket flash light to il¬ 
luminate the pages of your book, and it is a good 
plan to enclose the bulb with red tissue paper held 
in place by a rubber band, for red light is restful to 
the eye. 

After you have studied the figure of Orion in the 
book you can, with a little stretch of the imagination, 
see the Giant in the sky, and when at last you have 
this dramatic stellar picture before your eyes you 
thrill with emotion at the thought of the myriads of 
people who have gazed with awe and reverence at 
this sublime spectacle. The mystery enshrouding 
the significance of the figure, its tremendous and im¬ 
posing proportions, its celebrity through all the ages 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


155 


from the remote past, these are the thoughts that 
awaken our souls to the eternal beauty and exalted 
significance of the stars. 

Orion rises in the early evening about December 
1st, and sets in the western sky the middle of April. 
No other star-picture contains as many bright stars 
as Orion and all winter long, whenever we gaze up¬ 
ward at the stars, we feel the might and presence of 
the Giant Hunter of the sky. 

The poets of all lands and in all times have sung 
the praises of this starry Giant. Manilius wrote: 

Orion’s beams, Orion’s beams; 

His star-gemmed belt and shining blade 
His isles of light, his silver streams, 

And glowing gulfs of mystic shade. 

Our great poet Longfellow thus refers to the Giant 
Hunter: 


Begirt with many a blazing star 
Stood the great giant Algebar 
Orion, hunter of the beast, 

His sword hung gleaming by his side. 

We will now learn the names of the beautiful stars 
that form the famous picture. 


. . . First in rank, 

The Martial star upon the shoulder flames. 

The name of the orange-colored star in the upper 
left-hand corner of the four-sided figure enclosing the 


156 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


Belt stars, is Betelgeuse* (pronounced Bet-el-gerz'), 
an Arab name meaning “the armpit of the Central 
One.” It is the second in brightness of the three 
bright stars in the sky that are red in color. It 
marks the right shoulder of the Giant, and is the 
first bright star in the picture to appear in the east in 
the early evening late in the autumn, a starry herald 
announcing the approach of the Giant Hunter. 

Betelgeuse is an irregular variable star, that is, it 
does not always shine with the same brilliance. 
Astronomers do not know why it changes its light 
nor when it will do so. It is traveling away from us 
at the rate of ten and one half miles a second. 

The brightest star in the picture, and one of the 
most attractive stars in the sky, marks the lower 
right-hand corner of the four-sided figure, a flashing 
white sun called “Rigel.” It is beautiful in name 
and color, and is seventh in order of brightness of all 
the stars in the sky. It marks the left foot of the 
Giant Hunter. 

* An interesting fact has lately been revealed concerning the star 
Betelgeuse. On the night of Dec. 13, 1920, Mr. Francis G. Pease, 
and Dr. J. A. Anderson using the great 100 inch reflecting telescope 
at the Mt. Wilson Observatory, equipped with an interferometer, 
and a method suggested by its inventor, Professor A. A. Michelson, 
succeeded in measuring the diameter of Betelgeuse. The first time 
that a star’s diameter had been actually measured. Betelgeuse 
proved to be a giant star approximately 273,000,000 miles in 
diameter. The circumference of the star would be nearly equal to 
that of the orbit of the planet Mars, and if it were as near to us as 
‘our sun, it would cover the entire sky. The fact that Betelgeuse 
is red in color and a giant in size shows that it is a youthful star in 
point of age among the stellar hosts, and well named the “ Martial 
star.” 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


157 


Rigel is an enormous distance away from us, and 
speeding from us at the rate of fifteen miles a second. 
When we are in an automobile traveling at the rate 
of forty miles an hour, we think we are going pretty 
fast, but an auto that kept up with Rigel would have 
to go at a speed of fifty-four thousand miles an hour, 
the thought of which fairly takes our breath away. 
According to Professor Newcomb, Rigel is at least ten 
thousand times brighter than our sun which is of 
such dazzling brightness that we cannot gaze directly 
at it without protecting our eyes. Think of the 
glory and radiance surrounding Rigel! 

Bellatrix is the name of the star in the Giant’s left 
shoulder. It has been known as “the Female 
Warrior,” and the “Amazon Star.” The Amazon 
River Indians thought that this star was a small 
boy in a canoe, with an old man represented by the 
star Betelgeuse. They imagined that they were 
chasing the Peixie Boi, a dark spot in the sky near 
Orion, the exact location of which they do not 
disclose. 

The three stars in the Belt, because of their strik¬ 
ing position in the sky have attracted universal 
attention since the dawn of history. They all bear 
Arab star names. The upper one is called “Min- 
taka,” meaning “the Belt,” the middle one is 
“Alnilam,” the “string of pearls,” and the name 
of the lower one is “Alnitak,” meaning “the 
girdle.” 

A line drawn through these stars projected up the 
sky points to the red star Aldebaran, in the eye of 


158 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


the Bull, the line extended downward guides you to 
the glorious star Sirius, in the Great Dog, the 
brightest star in the sky. 

Some authorities think that these three stars are 
the Bands of Orion mentioned in the Bible. The 
Arabs called them “the golden nuts,” or “the string 
of pearls.” One tribe of Africans called them “the 
three pigs,” and among the Hindus they were known 
as “the three jointed arrow.” The Chinese knew 
them as a “weighing beam,” the Eskimos thought 
that they represented the three steps cut in a snow¬ 
bank by an Eskimo to help him reach the top. 
The Greenlanders imagined that they were three 
seal hunters lost at sea, and placed in the sky. 
However, the best known names for these famous 
stars are “the three Kings,” the “Ell,” and “the 
Yard.” 

The star above and about half way between Betel- 
geuse and Bellatrix is called “Meissa,” which means 
“the Head of the Giant.” 

Just below Alnitak is a faint star known as Sigma, 
<7, Orionis. It is an exquisite multiple star, that is, 
instead of being one star as it appears to the naked 
eye, a telescope reveals eight or ten stars, many of 
them beautifully colored. The sight of these stars is 
entrancing, and if you have a telescope or an oppor¬ 
tunity of using one be sure to take a look at this 
wonderfully interesting star. 

With your opera glass look closely at the star 
Theta, 6 , just below the Belt stars. The poet 
Tennyson thus refers to it: 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


159 


... a single misty star 
Which is the second in a line of stars 
That seem a sword beneath a belt of three. 

This star represents the sword that the Giant carries, 
and the glass reveals a mist or fog that seems to com¬ 
pletely surround it and makes it a hazy object to 
view quite unlike the appearance of the other stars. 
The telescopic view of this star reveals a wonderful 
sight. It is a great nebula, an irregular shaped cloud 
of glowing gas, that we know to be in rapid motion. 
This nebula is the most wonderful object of its kind 
in the sky. Professor Barnard says that it looks 
like a ghostly bat flitting through the night of space. 
It is thought that these clouds of gas produce suns 
like ours surrounded by planets like our earth, so that 
here we behold the mint that turns out the golden 
coins men call stars, and sets them in the night’s vast 
treasure house. 

The nebula is so far away from us that it is useless 
for us to even think how far distant it is. 

Orion is described by Homer as “the tallest and 
most beautiful of men.” It is said that he claimed 
that there was not a creature on earth that he could 
not conquer, which was a foolish thing to say. The 
gods who were thought to rule the affairs of mankind 
in ancient times were displeased at Orion because of 
his conceit, and resolved to teach him a lesson. 
They caused a scorpion to rise from the ground which 
bit the foot of the Giant, causing his death. At 
Diana’s request he was placed among the stars, and 
the scorpion also, but in order that Orion might 


i6o 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


never again suffer such a death, they were placed 
opposite each other in the sky, and we never see them 
among the stars at the same time. 

When the Scorpion comes, 

Orion flees to utmost end of earth. 

According to another story, the Giant Hunter fell 
in love with Merope, the beautiful daughter of the 
king of Chios. Her father did not approve of Orion, 
and the Hunter very foolishly attempted to carry 
Merope away with him, but her father caught him 
in the act and was so angry with Orion that he put 
out his eyes and left the poor man alone upon the 
seashore. Hearing the sound of hammering, the 
blind Giant groped his way to the forge of Vulcan, 
and begged assistance. Vulcan’s heart was touched 
at the pitiful sight, and he had one of his assistants, 
who was also a giant with one great eye in the centre 
of his head, called a Cyclops, carry Orion to the top 
of a mountain. There the Hunter faced eastward 
and the first beams of the rising siin on his eyes 
restored his sight. 

The Giant Hunter, in spite of his size and far- 
famed beauty seemed to be always getting into 
trouble. One of the old stories relates that the 
Moon Goddess, Diana, fell in love with Orion. 
Apollo, the Sun God, her twin brother, did not fancy 
the Hunter, and to prevent his sister from marrying 
him poured his golden rays on Orion one day when 
he was bathing, then he requested Diana to test her 
skill in archery by shooting at the shining mark. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


161 


Diana, not dreaming that the brightness concealed 
her lover, drew her bow and her arrow went true to 
the mark and killed Orion. In her grief she besought 
Jove for aid, and pitying her he placed Orion among 
the stars. Now as the Moon Goddess sails across the 
sky in her beautiful silver boat, and reaches her lover 
in the stars, she gazes fondly upon him, and doubtless 
when a cloud prevents us from seeing her, she kisses 
him. 

Because of its position in the sky, Orion was 
dreaded by the daring sailors who sailed the seas in 
ancient times: 

When the fierce winds Orion arrived 
Hath vexed the Red Sea coast. 

It is said that in one of the early wars, a great 
Roman fleet was destroyed because it set sail between 
the risings of Orion and Sirius. 

There is still a vast deal to be told about this 
beautiful star-picture, but there is not room for more 
now. You must get other books about the stars, 
and as you read of their wonderful and fascinating 
history, you will learn to love them, and whenever 
you behold them they will send you beams of friendly 
welcome, full of mystery and charm, all your life long. 


XX 










LEPUS 
THE HARE 




i 


Orion 


1 


8aiph Q i—•— 1 *"* 



Rigel 




LEPUS 

164 


Erid 


LEPUS (le'-pus)—THE HARE. (Face South.) 

Under Orion’s feet, mark too the Hare, 

Perpetually pursued. Behind him Sirius 
Drives as in chase, hard pressing when he rises, 

And when he sinks as hotly pressing still. 

Frothingham’s Aratos. 

Below the Giant Hunter is the star-picture of the 
Hare. Its stars are faint and rather fit the picture, 
for the hare is a timid creature by nature. 

A little group of four faint stars mark the ears of 
the Hare, and if you look carefully at the picture of 
the creature in the book, you should be able to trace 
out the figure of the Hare in the sky. 

The back, one eye, and three of the Hare’s paws 
are marked by stars. The figure lies just below a 
line connecting the stars Rigel and Saiph in Orion. 
About February 8th or mid-winter is the best time 
to view this star-picture in the early evening, but 
you need a clear night to see all its stars. 

The curving line of three stars that mark the back 
of the Hare point toward the flaming Sirius, in the 
star-picture of the Great Dog. Those who sketched 
the star-pictures in the sky evidently intended to 
represent here a hunting scene, the Dog pursuing the 
165 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


166 

Hare and the Hare appears to be crouching low close 
to Orion as if seeking his protection. 

The star y Gamma Leporis is a double star which 
you may be able to see as a double in your opera or 
field glass. There are thousands of these beautiful 
objects in the sky, and the contrasting colors of the 
twin stars is a source of pleasure and delight to all 
who behold them. It is a pity that more people do 
not search the skies for the wonderful treasures hid¬ 
den there. People who will go miles in search of a 
rare orchid never think of gazing at the glories of 
the heavens. 

Draw an imaginary line from the star Alpha to ^ 
Mu and extend it about one third of its length. In 
this region search for an unusually red star. This is 
called “Hind’s crimson star,” and it has been likened 
to “ a drop of blood on a black field. ” Its light varies 
for some unknown reason, so that it is only when it is 
brightest that it is visible in a field glass, so do not 
be disappointed if you do not see it, but look for it 
some other time. 

The Arabs thought that the four-sided figure out¬ 
lined in the diagram were four camels drinking from 
the River in the sky, which we will read about in a 
later chapter. 

There was a strange belief among people in the 
olden times that the Hare disliked above all else the 
cry of the Raven or Crow, and we find the star- 
pictures of these creatures so arranged in the sky, 
that the Hare sets in the west when the Crow rises in 
the east; thus there is no chance for the Hare to be 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


167 


disturbed by the crow’s presence, even among the 
star-pictures. 

The Chinese imagined that there is a Hare in the 
Moon, which is forever making rice cakes, and that a 
three-legged crow lives in the Sun. We know that 
the moonlight fades in the presence of the more 
resplendent sun, and possibly this is why the Hare 
hates the Crow. 

It is said that the Giant Hunter delighted in hunt¬ 
ing hares, and thus one was placed near him in the 
sky; but, as we have seen, he appears to be too much 
interested in defending himself from the charge of 
the Bull to pay attention to such small game as a 
hare. 































GEMINI 


THE TWINS 




GEMINI 

170 


<t> #«*» 












GEMINI (jem'-i-ni)—THE TWINS. (Face East.) 


Tender Gemini in strict embrace 

Stand clos’d and smiling in each other’s Face; 

Manilius. 

A glance at the map of the winter stars will show 
you where to look for the Twins in the sky. An 
imaginary line drawn from Rigel to Betelgeuse in 
Orion, extended, points to the two bright stars 
Castor and Pollux in Gemini that mark the heads of 
the Twins. 

Gemini is well placed for observation in the early 
evening about January ist, in the east, and about 
June ist in the western sky. 

The star-picture of the Twins is in the Zodiac, 
which is the name of the path that extends all the way 
around the sky, and over which the sun, moon, and 
planets take their encircling way. It is divided into 
twelve equal parts, each of which is marked by a star- 
picture. These pictures are probably the oldest of 
all that have come down to us, and for this reason 
there is a wealth of history surrounding them that 
makes them especially interesting to those who study 
the stars. 

The two bright stars Castor and Pollux have been 


172 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


called “the Twins” from the earliest times, but they 
have also received other names, such as the “Two 
Peacocks,” the “Two Kids,” and the “Giant’sEyes.” 
Pollux is now the brighter of the two stars, but in 
olden times Castor was the more brilliant of the two, 
which, for some reason that is not clear, has lost a part 
of its original brightness. 

Castor is a beautiful double star in a small tele¬ 
scope. The famous astronomer, Sir John Herschel, 
called it “the largest and finest double star in the 
northern skies.” 

With your opera glass look for the beautiful star 
cluster marked 35 M. which even in a small telescope 
is a magnificent object. As we have said before 
the letter “M” after the number is the initial letter 
of the astronomer Messier, who discovered many 
star clusters and catalogued them. This cluster 
has been described as “a marvelously striking ob¬ 
ject, and no one can see it for the first time without 
an exclamation.” 

According to an old story, Castor and Pollux were 
twin brothers, the sons of Jupiter and Leda. From 
early youth they led active and venturesome lives, 
and were inseparable companions. 

They were of the company of Argonauts who went 
with Jason on the perilous adventure to recover the 
golden fleece at Colchis, and on this occasion dis¬ 
played great courage and bravery. 

Castor excelled in the management of horses, 
while Pollux was famous as a soldier and boxer. As 
the poet Martial expresses it: 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


173 


Castor alert to tame the foaming steed, 

And Pollux strong to deal the manly deed. 

The figures of the Twins appeared in the old Greek 
temples on horseback, armed with spears, and riding 
side by side, and the Romans, when they were en¬ 
gaged in battle with their enemies, imagined that 
Castor and Pollux appeared and led them as they 
charged the foe. 

The Twins were greatly admired by all who sailed 
the seas, for they were said to have attacked and 
broken up the pirate bands that used to make it 
unsafe for ships to sail the Hellespont, and the 
neighboring seas. 

It is related that when Castor and Pollux were on 
the Argonautic expedition, a great storm arose, and, 
at the height of it, two flames appeared above the heads 
of the Twins, and immediately the storm ceased. 

In honor of the Twins, these lights were known as 
“Ledean lights,” or “St. Elmo’s lamps.” 

The death of the Twins came about in this way. 
They were invited to the wedding of two young men 
named Lynceus and Idas, who were to marry Phoebe 
and Telaria, the daughters of Leucippus. It ap¬ 
pears that Castor and Pollux fell in love with the 
beautiful brides-to-be, at first sight, and resolved to 
marry them. This plan of theirs did not add to the 
solemnity and peace of the occasion, as you can well 
imagine, and the wedding resolved itself into a dis¬ 
graceful fight. 

Castor attacked and killed Lynceus, but Idas, 


174 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


rushing to aid his brother, slew Castor. Pollux then 
took a hand, and killed Idas, and of the four was the 
sole survivor. 

Pollux, grief stricken at the death of his brother, 
implored the gods to restore Castor to life, or else 
take from himself the immortality they had granted 
him. Jupiter thought so much of the Twins, that he 
decided that Pollux should share his immortality 
with Castor, so that as long as one lived, just so long 
the other remained dead. According to this plan 
one of the Twins always lived. Later on, Jupiter 
further rewarded the Twins by placing them among 
the stars close to each other. 

The following interesting story accounts for the 
name “Giant Eyes” that was given to this star- 
picture by some of the people of the ancient world: 

Once upon a time, there lived a great magician 
named Daze. He was a giant in size, and could 
change himself whenever he wished into any sort of 
creature. 

One day he took the form of an eagle, and looking 
down from the sky, he saw three gods sitting around 
a camp fire cooking an ox in a huge pot. 

Daze said to himself, “here is a perfectly good 
dinner for me,” so he flew down and perched on a 
tree near the fire. 

He then cast a magic spell over the pot, which pre¬ 
vented the meat from cooking. The gods kept piling 
on wood, and the water in the pot boiled and sput¬ 
tered but the meat did not cook at all, which made 
the hungry gods very angry. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


175 


What will you give if I will make the meat cook ? ” 
said Daze from the tree. The gods talked it over, 
and offered Daze a share of the meat if he could make 
it cook. Daze was satisfied with this arrangement 
and removed the spell so that the meat was soon 
cooked and ready to eat. 

Loke, one of the gods, lifted the meat out of the 
pot, but no sooner had he done so when down flew 
Daze, and grabbed the best part of the meat in his 
claws, leaving only the bones for the gods. 

Loke was very angry at this and struck Daze a 
terrible blow with a pole, but Daze expected this and 
the pole simply stuck to his back, and Loke found 
that he could not let go of the pole, for Daze had cast 
a spell over him. 

Off flew Daze with the meat in his claws, and the 
pole with Loke clinging to it on his back. Because 
of his burden, Daze flew pretty low and poor Loke 
was bumped about by the trees and rocks they 
passed, so that when Daze ordered him to procure 
for him the apples of Youth he was only too glad to 
agree to make the attempt. 

The apples of Youth were priceless, for anyone 
who ate them never grew old, and they were well 
guarded, but in spite of all obstacles Loke succeeded 
in obtaining them and turned them over to Daze. 

The guardians of the treasured apples were furious 
at the loss of the precious fruit, and threatened Loke’s 
life if he did not get them back from Daze. 

Loke changed himself into a bird, and flew off to 
Daze’s home. Luckily Daze was out fishing, and Loke 


176 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


seeing the precious apples on the table, grabbed them 
up in his claws and flew off with them. 

When Daze returned home, he was in a terrible 
rage over his loss, and changing himself into an eagle 
set out after Loke. 

The eagle being such a powerful bird, gained 
rapidly on Loke, but Loke was almost home and all 
the gods were up on the city wall to welcome him. 
Seeing Daze close behind him, they built a huge fire 
on the wall which they lit as soon as Loke had crossed 
the wall, and Daze who was close behind him was 
caught in the flames, and his feathers were all burnt 
off. Down he tumbled to the ground where the gods 
killed him, but his eyes were placed in the sky, and 
we see them on winter’s nights looking down at us 
in the star-picture of the Twins. 

The natives of Australia imagined that Castor and 
Pollux were two huntsmen named Yurree and Wan- 
jil. They are out hunting Purra, the kangaroo, 
represented by the brilliant star Capella, in the star- 
picture of Auriga, to the west and north of Gemini. 
At the season of the great heat, the hunters finally 
catch up with the kangaroo and kill him. They 
then cook his meat over a fire, and the smoke of this 
fire is the shimmering haze rising from the hot fields 
in summer that we call a mirage. 


MONOCEROS 
THE UNICORN 


177 


* 



AThena 

in 

Gemini 



1 

O Siriu8 
in 

Canig Majoy 



178 





MONOCEROS (mo-nos'-e-ros)—THE UNICORN. 

(Face South.) 

While we are in the region of the sky occupied by 
the star-pictures of Orion and Gemini we may as 
well locate the picture of a strange-looking animal 
that roams in Starland. 

In the picture we see that the creature resembles a 
horse with a long horn sticking out of his forehead. 
This fierce looking animal is well guarded by the 
Giant Hunter and his two Dogs, as you will see by 
looking at the Diagram. 

The stars in the picture are all faint, but on a clear 
night you will easily see the stars forming the head 
of the beast, just to the left or east of the star 
Betelgeuse in Orion. 

Monoceros is a comparatively new star-picture. 
The people of ages past who first painted the star- 
pictures on the sky were naturally attracted by the 
brighter stars, and used these up first to trace out 
figures in the sky. This left a great many faint stars 
in the sky that were not included in any picture. 
From time to time it occurred to some one to form 
these faint stars into pictures, and although they are 
not as attractive to look at as the brighter and better- 
known figures, still it is great fun to hunt for them, 
1*9 


i8o 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


just as it is entertaining to work out a puzzle. You 
should not be contented until you know all the star- 
pictures. 

There are a number of beautiful star clusters in 
Monoceros, and you should sweep over this region 
with your opera glass, for it reveals many charming 
objects. 

The Monoceros is said to be a species of the Uni¬ 
corn or Rhinoceros. It is claimed that when pur¬ 
sued, it leaps from great heights and lands upon its 
horn which breaks its fall, and it runs on uninjured. 


CANIS MAJOR 
THE GREAT DOG 


181 


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% 



* 


2 Naosin 
Q Argo Navia 








CANIS MAJOR (ka'-nis ma-jor)—THE GREAT 
DOG. (Face South.) 

All others he excells; no fairer light 
Ascends the skies, none set so clear and bright. 

Manilius. 

There is no difficulty in locating the beautiful 
star-picture of Canis Major, the Great Dog, as 
Sirius its brightest star outshines all the other stars 
in the sky, and its glorious beams attract the atten¬ 
tion of everyone who raises his eyes to the stars on 
winter nights. 

The Great Dog is to be seen to the left or east of 
Lepus, the Hare, and contains a number of bright 
stars. The three stars in Orion’s belt point down¬ 
ward to Sirius. 

From the earliest times Sirius has been known as 
“the Dog of Orion,” and the star has been famous 
since the dawn of history. 

Sirius rises in the early evening about Christmas 
time, by March ist it shines directly south, and it is 
lost to our view in the west the middle of May. 

The sight of this brilliant star in a telescope is 
most entrancing. Bright rays of every hue dart 
from its flaming heart. As the poet Tennyson 
expresses it: 


183 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


184 


The fiery Sirius alters hue, 

And bickers into red and emerald. 

Sirius was a favorite star with the Egyptians who 
worshipped this sun. With them it performed a 
great service as its appearance in the east warned 
them of the rising of the River Nile each year; thus 
the people who lived near the bank of the river could 
pack up their things, and move them to a safe place 
out of reach of the waters. 

The service this star rendered the Egyptians was 
like that of a dog who barks and warns his master 
when some one approaches so that the master can 
prepare himself. This may be the reason why this 
star-picture was called “the Dog,” for of course it 
does not resemble a dog. 

The poet Aratos thus describes Sirius: 

In his fell jaw 

Flames a star above all others with searing beams 

Fiercely burning, called by mortals Sirius. 

Many of the Egyptian temples were built in honor 
of this ‘ ‘ King of Suns. ’ ’ One of these was the famous 
temple of Isis at Denderah. Here Sirius was known 
as “Her Majesty of Denderah,” and the light of the 
star as it rose penetrated down a long dark passage¬ 
way till it shone upon the altar in the inner temple. 
What a wonderful sight that must have been as the 
silvery beam of star-light suddenly darted like an 
arrow straight to its mark, and lingered for a mo¬ 
ment in the full view of the multitude of worshippers. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


185 


Truly that must have been a marvelous sight, full of 
mystery and wonder. 

You have probably heard of the hot and humid 
days in summer that people call ‘ ‘ Dog-days. ’ ’ These 
days get their name from the fact that Sirius is over¬ 
head in the daytime at this season of the year, and 
men thought that the rays from this bright star added 
to the warmth of the sunshine, and this made the 
weather unusually hot. We know now that Sirius is 
a great distance from us and that the heat from it is 
too little to cause any such effect. 

Sirius is the nearest to us of all the bright stars, 
but it is so far away that it takes its light over eight 
years to reach us, and light travels at the tremendous 
speed of 186,000 miles a second. 

The Finnish poet Topelius fancied that two stars 
fell in love with each other, and when they embraced, 
a new star was born, the brilliant Sirius. 

Straight rushed into each other’s arms 
And melted into one. 

So they became the brightest star 
In heaven’s high arch and dwelt 
Great Sirius, the mighty sun, 

Beneath Orion’s belt. 

Sometimes there is a truth hidden in a fairy story, or 
a poetic fancy, and, in this case, the telescope reveals 
that Sirius has a companion star hidden in its rays. 
The story of the discovery of this star is most inter¬ 
esting, and worth remembering. 

The celebrated astronomer, Bessel, after observing 


i86 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


it closely for ten years, announced that the mo¬ 
tion of the star which he was able to measure indi¬ 
cated that there was an invisible star revolving about 
Sirius. On January 31, 1862, Alvan G. Clark, of 
Cambridge, Mass., a noted maker of telescopes, 
tested a glass he had made by observing Sirius, and 
lo and behold! there was a tiny star twinkling away 
bravely in spite of the radiance streaming from the 
brilliant Sirius, thus confirming Bessel’s wonderful 
prediction. 

Canis Major, according to the old stories, was one 
of Orion’s hunting dogs, placed with him in the sky. 

Another story relates that this is the dog Aurora 
gave Cephalos. It was said to surpass all other dogs 
in fleet ness. Cephalos thought he would prove this 
by racing his dog against a fox, which you know is 
very swift of foot. The dog and the fox raced for a 
time without either gaining the advantage, and 
Jupiter was so pleased with the dog’s fleet ness, that 
he placed him in the sky as a reward. 

There is a great deal more that could be told about 
this beautiful star-picture, which has been so ad¬ 
mired by all men, but we must pass on to view some 
of the other pictures that brighten up the night skies 
of winter. 


CANIS MINOR 
THE LITTLE DOG 


187 


>'\ 


/ 


The Head 
of 

\ Hydra 



o 

P 



Procyort 

8 • • 


Gomeisa 


CAMS MINOR 


(Pollux9 

/ 

/ 

/ 

I 

«( 3 

\ 

\ 

V 

/ 

/ 

/ 

i 


o 


MonoceroS 

o 


o 


Betelgeuze 

in 

Orion 


1 

o 



1 

o 

Castor 


Gemini 


CANIS MINOR (Ka'-nis ml'-nor)—THE LITTLE 
DOG. (Face Southeast.) 


The dog’s precursor, too, shines bright beneath the 
Twins. Aratos. 

A glance at the diagram will show you at once 
where to look for the star-picture of Cards Minor, 
the Little Dog. It contains only two naked-eye 
stars of any importance, the brighter of the two, 
Procyon by name, a beautiful yellow star, rises a 
little north of east at 8 p.m. the middle of December, 
and from then until June ist it is well placed for 
observation. In the early evening, in mid-winter, 
it is to be seen in the southeastern sky. 

Procyon is located a little to the left, that is, east 
of an imaginary line drawn from Sirius to Pollux, 
and about midway between these two stars. 

The name Prpcyon means “before the dog,” as this 
star heralds the appearance in the sky of the Dog 
star Sirius, rising about twenty minutes before it. 

In ancient times the Little Dog was thought to 
be a water dog because it stood on the border of the 
Milky Way which was thought to be a river in the 
sky. In the old maps of the sky, the Little Dog 
resembles a spaniel, which, as you know, is con¬ 
sidered a water dog. 


189 


190 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


The old stories about the Little Dog are a bit con¬ 
fusing, and we have quite a choice in the matter of 
deciding just whose dog he is. Seeing the two dogs 
following in the footsteps of the Giant Hunter, we 
might readily suppose that the Little Dog was one of 
Orion’s hunting dogs, and many have so regarded 
him. 

Others think, however, that this is the faithful dog 
named Mera, whose master Icarius had been mur¬ 
dered and his body had not been discovered. 
Erigone, his daughter, was grief-stricken at her loss, 
and at the failure to locate her father’s body. The 
devoted Mera searched everywhere for his master, 
and finally found his body, and his barking brought 
Erigone to the spot. Grief, however, had crazed 
her, and in her despair she hung herself. The loyal 
Mera also pined away with grief and died, but the 
gods rewarded his faithfulness by placing him among 
the stars. 

According to another story, the Little Dog repre¬ 
sents one of the hounds of Actaeon. It is related that 
Actaeon was one day strolling through the forest when 
he was unfortunate enough to surprise Diana, the 
moon goddess, and her companons as they were 
bathing. 

Diana, surprised and indignant at his intrusion, 
dashed water in his face, and immediately he was 
changed into a stag. While he stood there in his new 
form, his dogs caught sight of him, and he fled for his 
life, but it was in vain, for the dogs caught up with 
him, and dragged him down to death. Diana was 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


191 

thus avenged, but it does not appear why the god 
saw fit to reward Actseon’s hound with a place in 
Starland’s Hall of Fame for killing his master, and I 
doubt if we will ever know the reason. 

Now that we are acquainted with Procyon, the 
following facts are of interest. This star is the sixth 
in the order of brightness among the stars seen in this 
latitude, and it is the only one of the bright winter 
stars that is yellow in color. The light from Procyon 
takes years to reach us, and the star is approach¬ 
ing the earth at the rate of nearly six miles a second. 
Strangely enough Procyon, like Sirius, has a faint 
companion star revolving about it. 

Although it is easy to state these facts, think of 
the time and effort that it has cost to give this 
knowledge to the world, and you will have a higher 
respect and admiration for the work of the astrono¬ 
mers who give of their lives and wisdom to advance 
our knowledge of the stars. 
















CETUS 
THE WHALE 


13 


193 



The 

Great Square 
of Pegasus* 

O Algenib 

7 




CETUS 

194 




CETUS (se-tus)—'THE WHALE. (Face South¬ 
west.) 

With gills pulmonic breathes the enormous whale. 

Darwin. 

We must now go to sea, for we are in search of a 
whale, and while there is no chance of our seeing him 
spout, still we can examine him closely without 
danger of being attacked. 

As you will notice by a look at his photograph, he 
is certainly a queer-looking whale, but he is a star 
whale, and swims in the sky, and is naturally different 
from sea-going whales. 

In the early evenings in November look for him in 
the southwestern sky. In December and January 
he is south of us, and in mid-winter in the southwest. 

First of all look for the head of the monster. It is a 
little to the right or west of the Pleiades. 

Always study the diagrams before you try to locate 
the star-pictures in the sky, for they will show you 
where to find the picture you are in search of. 

There are five stars in the Whale’s head; one of 
them is a fairly bright one, and this, with the other 
stars, forms a five-sided figure which is quite easy 
to see. 

The remaining stars in the picture are below and 
195 


196 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


to the right or west, and if you connect them with 
imaginary lines, as has been done in the diagram, 
you will see that they form the figure of a steamer 
chair. 

The bright star in the head of the Whale was 
called “Menkar” by the Arabs, which means “the 
nose.” It is an orange-colored star, and your opera 
glass reveals that it has a faint companion star of a 
bluish tint. 

The brightest star in the picture is “Deneb 
Kaitos, ’ ’ which means ‘ ‘ the tail of the Whale. ” It is 
yellowish in color, and the first day of December, at 
8 P.M., you will see it directly south, one third of the 
way up the sky. 

You see how useful the stars are to direct our course 
when we are well acquainted with them. They also 
provide us with a perpetual calendar, and a time 
piece that never runs down, and never has to be 
wound up. 

There is in this star-picture a very wonderful star. 
It bears the beautiful star name “Mira,” which 
means ‘‘ the wonderful. ” Way back in August, 1596, 
Dr. Fabricius, a Dutch astronomer, noticed that it was 
almost as bright as Polaris. By October it had dis¬ 
appeared from view, which means that it was fainter 
than the sixth magnitude. Surely that was a won¬ 
derful discovery to make! Later on it brightened 
up again, and then disappeared, and ever since this 
time these changes in the light of this star have been 
observed by astronomers. 

Stars that change in brightness are known as 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


197 


Variable stars, and they form a fascinating branch of 
astronomical work. We now know that it takes 
about three hundred and thirty days for Mira to 
change from a bright star to a faint one, and then 
back to a bright one. We do not know why its light 
changes, nor how bright it will be when it is brightest. 
It is a very interesting star to observe, and you must 
look at it often with your opera glass, and watch it 
brighten up and gradually fade away. To see it 
when it is faintest requires a small telescope. 

The star marked r, Tau Ceti, is one of our near 
star neighbors. It ranks second in nearness of all 
the stars that we see with the naked eye in this lati¬ 
tude, Sirius being first. It is almost ten light-years 
away. Let us see how far this star is from us in 
miles. It is a little example in arithmetic. Light 
travels at the rate of 186,000 miles a second. In 
order to find out how far light travels in a year, you 
must first multiply this figure by sixty to find 
how far it travels in a minute, then by sixty again to 
obtain its rate per hour, then by twenty-four to get its 
daily rate, and again by three hundred and sixty-five, 
and you have the number of miles light travels in one 
year, or one “light-year’’ as astronomers call it. 
Multiply this number by ten to find the distance that 
Tau Ceti is away from us and you have as a result 
the small matter of fifty-seven trillion, eight hundred 
and fifty-three billion miles. This give you a little 
idea of the distances that the stars are away from us. 
Is it not wonderful that we know anything about 
them? 


198 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


Cetus is a very old star-picture, and probably was 
known to the shepherds of ancient times who traced 
out the star-pictures in the sky while they were 
watching their flocks. 

The best-known story about the Whale is the one 
that connects it with the story of Perseus and 
Andromeda. You will find it told in this book by 
turning to the description of these star-pictures. 

The beautiful Andromeda was chained to a rock 
on the seashore, a prey to this cruel sea monster, and 
just as he was about to devour the unfortunate 
maiden, along came the gallant hero Perseus, who 
slew the monster, and rescued the fair Andromeda, 
whom he afterwards married. The monster was 
turned to stone, and so rendered harmless for all 
time. 


ERIDANUS 
THE RIVER 




199 




ERIDANUS 

200 





ERIDANUS (e-rid'-a-nus)—THE RIVER. (Face 
South.) 


The scorched waters of Eridanus’ tear-swollen flood 

Welling beneath the left foot of Orion. 

Aratos. 

You have probably heard of the Gulf Stream, the 
current that flows through the Atlantic Ocean, like a 
great river, sweeping along our coast northward from 
the Gulf of Mexico. 

We also have a River in the sky, and every clear 
night in winter we can trace it in the stars as it winds 
its way below Taurus, the Bull, westward from 
Rigel’s beacon light to bathe the forepaws of Cetus, 
the Whale. It then descends the sky, and is lost to 
the sight of those who dwell in this latitude. It ends 
near the brilliant star Achernar, which is to be seen 
only by those who live in the Southland. 

It needs a clear night to see the sky River well, but 
after you have studied out its course on the diagram, 
you can easily trace out its crooked way. Start¬ 
ing just to the right of Rigel, in Orion, you will see its 
stars as they curve out to the westward, forming a 
figure not unlike a horseshoe. 

Virgil called this beautiful River of Stars the 
‘ * King of Rivers, ’ ’ and it has borne many other names 


201 


202 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


such as “the River Euphrates,” “the River Nile,” 
“the River Jordan,” and “the River Po.” 

In connection with this latter name there is an 
interesting story: 

There was once a famous youth named Phaethon, 
the son of Phoebus and Clymene. Favored by 
Venus, the goddess of love, he had charge of one of 
her temples, but this did not satisfy him, and he 
complained to his father that he wished to do some¬ 
thing that would make his name great among men. 
His father finally agreed to grant any request that 
he might make. 

The youth, transported, asks without delay, 

To guide the sun’s bright chariot for a day. 

Phoebus, realizing the terrible danger of such an 
undertaking, tries to persuade his son from attempt¬ 
ing it but finding that he was determined to carry out 
his plan he carefully instructed him how to drive the 
fierce steeds that drew the sun’s chariot across the 
sky each day. 

Phaethon promised to obey his father’s instruc¬ 
tions, but little did he realize the difficulty of his task. 
No sooner had he entered the golden chariot of the 
sun, and gathered up the reins, than the fiery steeds 
were aware that their master Phoebus was not driv¬ 
ing them, and they plunged this way and that, so 
that there was great danger of a terrible calamity, 
for the sun appeared to men to be falling, and every¬ 
body was very much alarmed. 



Phaethon Driving the Chariot of Apollo 
Painting by Max Klepper 








CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


203 


Seeing the need for prompt action to avert the 
threatened destruction of the world, Jupiter shot a 
thunderbolt from the sky which struck the unhappy 
and now terrified Phaethon, and he fell headlong into 
the River Eridanus, or Po, as it was called. His 
body was found and buried by some nymphs who 
lived near the river. 

Phaethon’s sisters were grief-stricken at their 
brother’s tragic death, and wept all day beside his 
grave. Jupiter, taking pity on them, changed them 
into poplar trees in order that they might always 
be near their brother and protect his grave. 

The great heat that resulted from this runaway 
sun parched the earth and dried up the blood of the 
Ethiopians, turning their skins black. 

We should all try to learn a lesson from this sad 
experience of Phaethon’s. Although it is quite right 
that we should wish to do something worth while, 
still we must not be unreasonable, and attempt 
something that we are unfitted for. 





THE STAR-PICTURES OF SPRING 





I 


N. 



& Variable Stan 
{•/ Nebula 

Map showing the principal stars visible from Lat. 40 8 N. at 9 o’clock April 1st. 


206 










THE STAR-PICTURES OF SPRING 


The winter stars depart, and one by one 
The stars of Spring return, once more our sun 
Shines fitfully, and sleeping buds and flowers 
Are awakening amid April showers. 

The spring vies with the autumn in affording a 
good opportunity for studying the stars, owing to 
the fact that it is not too cold for comfort, and 
because the days are comparatively short. 

Assuming that you are beginning your study in 
the spring, it is suggested that first of all you consult 
the diagram of the sky for mid-spring. Turn the 
book upside down to obtain the correct view of the 
northern heavens to which we will first turn our 
attention. 

A compass will give you the direction of the north, 
if you do not already know its position. If you do 
not have a compass, stand with your right side to the 
east, the direction of the sunrise, and you will be 
facing north. 

The diagram shows you the star-pictures as they 
appear at 8 p.m. May 8th, which is mid-spring. If 
you should begin your study in the early evening, 
about April 1st, you will see high up in the sky, al¬ 
most overhead, in the northeastern sky, the seven 


207 


N 


CASSIOPEIA 



The Southern early evening sky in mid-spring. Turn the book upside down 
to get a correct view of the Northern sky. 


208 








CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


209 


bright stars that form the celebrated star-picture of 
Ursa Major, the Great Bear, or Big Dipper as it is 
familiarly called. The Dipper at this season appears 
upside down. 

You will identify this picture at once for it looks 
very much like the outlined figure of a dipper, and 
there are no other bright stars near by to confuse 
you. 

The two stars in the Dipper that are farthest from 
the stars that form the handle are called “the 
Pointers,” and they are the stars that you should 
know above all others in the picture, for a line drawn 
from the star in the bottom of the dipper to its com¬ 
panion in the rim, extended a little over five times 
its length, points to Polaris, the North Star. Know¬ 
ing this star you always have a faithful guide to direct 
you every clear night in the year. You can readily 
see that this knowledge might be very useful to you 
if you were ever lost at night, and the North Star 
has assisted thousands who have sought its guiding 
beams. 

Polaris is of about the same brightness as the stars 
in the Dipper. It is in the star-picture of Ursa 
Minor, the Little Bear, and marks the tip of the crea¬ 
ture’s absurdly long tail. The Little Bear is also 
called “the Little Dipper,” but its stars with the 
exception of two are faint, and you will need a clear 
night when the moon is not in the sky to trace out 
the figure. 

It may not be amiss to caution you to select, when 
you are studying the stars, a place removed from all 


14 


210 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


artificial lights, as these dazzle the eyes and render it 
difficult to see the faint stars. As we have em¬ 
phasized it is well to use a pocket electric flash 
light to flash on the book occasionally. Cover the 
end of the bulb with red tissue paper, which is a rest¬ 
ful light for the eyes. 

Between the star-pictures of the Bears lies 
Draco, the Dragon, that coils about the Little Bear. 
It is a little difficult to trace out this picture which is 
truly serpentine, but if you will carefully study the 
figure in the diagram you should be able to puzzle 
out the star-picture. Not far from the head of the 
Dragon which is represented by four fairly bright 
stars, you will see the beautiful steel-blue Vega, 
one of the brightest stars in the sky. Vega is in 
the star-picture of Lyra, a figure that will be described 
in the summer star picture group. 

Turn your gaze to the northwest at about the same 
distance west of Polaris that Vega is east of it, and 
you will see another brilliant star flashing like a jewel. 
This is the star Capella in the picture of Auriga, the 
Charioteer, the famous “Goat Star,” slowly wend¬ 
ing its way to its fold in the west. 

Unless you have a clear and unobstructed view of 
the northern sky you will have difficulty in seeing 
the star-pictures of Cassiopeia and Cepheus, the 
Queen and King, below Polaris. These pictures will 
be better placed for observation later in the year, 
and properly belong to the autumn group where you 
will find a description of them, and also much of 
interest concerning the Bears and the Dragon. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


211 


These five star-pictures are always to be seen in 
the northern sky, and are called the circumpolar 
constellations or star-pictures. They are continually 
circling about the star Polaris, which star may be 
likened to the Ring Master in the Circus. Here, 
with his whip, he keeps the Bears, the Dragon, and 
even the King and Queen forever in their places 
turning about him. 

Facing due west you will see a number of bright 
stars that do not appear on the diagram. These ap¬ 
pear on the large chart representing the entire sky 
view for this season. They are some of the beauti¬ 
ful winter stars setting in the west and a description 
of them will be found in the section of the book 
devoted to the winter stars. 

It is worth while noting here a few of them because 
of their attractiveness and charm. About due west 
are the Twins, Castor and Pollux, in the star-picture 
of Gemini, below them is Procyon, the Little Dog 
star, while close to the southwestern horizon you 
may glimpse the brilliant Sirius, the Dog Star, the 
brightest star in the sky. It sets at 8 p.m. May 15th 
and 9 p.m. May 1st. 

We will now turn to the star-pictures of spring, 
and trace them out one by one in the southern and 
eastern sky. 









BOOTES 

THE HERDSMAN 
OR 

BEAR DRIVER 


213 




BOOTES 

214 . 










BOOTES (bo-o-tez)—THE 
HERDSMAN OR 
BEAR DRIVER. (Face East) 

And next Bootes comes whose ordered beams 
Present a figure driving on his teams. 

Manilius. 

The first of the spring group of star-pictures that 
we will look for is the kite-shaped figure representing 
Bootes, the giant Bear Driver. 

It is an easy picture to locate because it contains 
the brilliant golden-yellow star Arcturus, the “har¬ 
binger of spring,” which you will see at once for it is 
the brightest star in this part of the sky at this season. 

If you are in doubt about its identity, an imaginary 
line drawn through the three stars in the handle of 
the Dipper prolonged, curves down to Arcturus. 

To obtain the correct view of the figure as it ap¬ 
pears at this season, turn the book to the right so that 
the giant appears to lie on his side. The kite¬ 
shaped figure outlined in the sketch can be traced 
out easily if you start with Arcturus, which is the 
star in the base of the kite, and marks the knee of the 
giant. 

The left hand of the Herdsman is marked by three 


215 


216 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


faint stars a little to the left of the star Eta, which 
marks the tip of the Great Bear’s tail. 

There are few stars in the heavens that rival 
Arcturus in beauty and interest. The poet Whitman 
thus refers to it: 

Star of resplendent front; thy glorious eye 
Shines on me still from out yon clouded sky. 

This star is often alluded to as “Job’s star,’’ a 
name given it because Arcturus is mentioned in the 
Book of Job. 

Arcturus is the celestial herald of the springtide. 
It rises about 8 p.m. the first of March, and lovers of 
nature associate it with the swelling buds, the coming 
of the birds, and the awakening of new life in the 
forest, fields, and streams. 

When you are acquainted with all the bright stars, 
you will take a personal interest in them and find 
that many seem to have an individuality that is 
charming, a personality that endears them to all 
lovers of the beautiful. 

The name “Arcturus” means “the watcher of the 
Bear,” a good name for this bright star, as it follows 
close on the heels of the Great Bear, as if guiding its 
course, and acting, in a sense, as a guardian. 

The Arabs regarded Arcturus as “the Keeper of 
Heaven,” while the Eskimos find it useful as a time¬ 
piece, its position in the sky informing them of the 
time of night. 

There are a number of notable facts regarding 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


217 


Arcturus that add to our interest when we know the 
star. It is the fourth bright star in the northern 
hemisphere. We are very apt to think of the stars as 
fixed in the sky, but in reality they are all in rapid 
motion, though they are so very far away from us 
that they do not appear to move. It is really won¬ 
derful that we know of this movement of the stars at 
all, but so great are the achievements of astronomical 
research, that we can measure the speed of many of 
the stars, just as we can measure the speed of a 
bullet’s flight. 

Arcturus is hurtling through space at the tremend¬ 
ous rate of one hundred miles a second. Its distance 
from us is so vast that it takes its light forty or fifty 
years to reach us, and light travels at the rate of 
186,000 miles a second. 

It is indeed difficult for anyone to get an idea of 
the vast distances that separate us from the stars. 
Authorities claim that Arcturus is one hundred and 
fifty times as bright as our sun. 

When we think of the glory and radiance of this 
giant sun, its size, speed, and distance from us, it 
makes us feel very humble, and the affairs of our 
daily lives that seem of great importance, dwindle 
to insignificant proportions. Astronomy truly en¬ 
nobles and exalts us. It increases our knowledge of 
the vast ness and perfection of God’s universe as 
no other study does, and that is one of the best 
reasons why everyone should know more about the 
stars. 

The following illustration will give you a good 


218 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


idea of the immense size of Arcturus, and its great 
distance from us. 

Let Arcturus be represented by a globe six feet in 
diameter, the sun by a tennis ball, the earth by a 
grain of shot. Place the tennis ball two feet from the 
shot to represent the sun’s distance from the earth; 
on this scale, Arcturus would be 4000 miles away. 

You will observe on the figures of the star-pictures, 
the names of many stars. These, for the most part, 
are the old Arab names. They are seldom used by 
the professional astronomers, who prefer the Greek 
letter names that you will find close to the dots 
representing the stars on the diagrams and charts. 
In your study of the stars it is well for you to learn 
the Greek alphabet. You will find it given in the 
appendix. 

The star Mirak is worthy of note as it is a double 
star, visible in a small telescope. The two stars are 
pale orange and bluish-green in color and the sight of 
these contrasting jewels is one of exquisite beauty. 
The astronomer Struve was so much impressed with 
the beauty of this double star that he gave it the 
name of “Pulcherima.” 

The stories relating to Bootes vary considerably. 
This is what we might expect of all the star-pictures 
for the stars were closely observed by the people of 
ancient times and in many localities, which led to a 
great variety of myths and legends concerning them. 

Bootes was known as “the Herdsman” as well as 
the “Bear Driver,” for the word “Bootes” is from 
the Greek meaning “Ox-Driver.” 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


219 


According to one of the stories, Bootes was robbed 
of his property by his brother, and suffered many 
hardships, but as he was industrious and of an in¬ 
ventive turn of mind, this led him to invent a plow 
which was drawn by two oxen, and with this he tilled 
the land. 

His mother appears to have been endowed with 
supernatural powers, for she was so pleased with her 
son’s invention that, on his death, she placed him 
in the heavens following the “Plow,” which is an¬ 
other name for the seven stars forming the star- 
picture of the Dipper. In fact the figure resembles 
a plow, and in England this star-picture is known as 
“the Plough” or “Wain.” 

Whenever you look at Bootes you can picture the 
giant following the Plow, tilling the starry fields, and 
sowing the seeds of time. 

Bootes was thought by some to be Icarus, the 
father of Erigone, who was killed by some shepherds 
for intoxicating them. Others claim that he is 
Erichthonius, the inventor of chariots, and he has also 
been called “Atlas,” as he appeared to hold up the 
heavens. 

In the picture we have of Bootes, he appears to be 
holding a lance or spear, which is hardly consistent 
with the peaceful occupation of a plowman, but per¬ 
haps this was meant to be a shepherd’s staff which 
is quite appropriate. He appears also to hold two 
hunting dogs in leash, and the title of “Bear Driver” 
seems to fit him very well, but you can make your 
own choice, and Bootes will not mind which it is. 





CANES VENATICI 
THE HUNTING DOGS 


J2I 


Hercules 


X. 


s. 


t Pe ns 


X. 




JO 


^ Corona 
^ Borealis 

Gemma'Q.^j 



O 


Z^. 


/ 


or. 


/ 


s 


/ 


Bootes 

_ d 


y 


/ 


Arcturus 


O 



Cluster 


„ O 

O°oo 

w OO 

Coma 

Berenices 


2 

O Denebola in Leo 




C A N-E'S 
V EN'A T I C I 

3 ^ 

Cor Caroli 
a\ 5 

\ • 

\ La Superba 

S 

\4 

• Ohara 

0 


\ 

* \ 

* \ 
<? 


* \ 


o 

rl 


/ 



222 











CANES VENATICI (ka'-nez ve-nat'-i-ci)—THE 
HUNTING DOGS. 


Bootes hath unleash’d his fiery hounds. 

Meredith. 

Closely associated with Bootes is the star-pic¬ 
ture of Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs, which 
accompany the giant as he ceaselessly pursues the 
Bear about the Pole. 

This is not much of a star-picture as it contains 
only one star of any importance, and it takes a good 
deal of imagination to picture the hounds in the 
sky. 

They bear the attractive names of Asterion and 
Chara, the northern and southern hound respectively. 

Draw an imaginary line from Arcturus to Beta in 
Ursa Major, which you remember is the first of the 
‘ ‘ Pointer ” stars. About midway along this line you 
will see a star about as bright as the star Gamma in 
Bootes. This is the brightest star in the picture of 
the Hunting Dogs, and graces the collar that circles 
the neck of the hound Chara. 

The name of this star is “Cor Caroli ” or “Charles’ 
Heart.” It was named by Sir Charles Scarborough 
in honor of Charles I. 

It is a beautiful double star in a small telescope, 


223 


224 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


the colors of the two stars being flushed white and 
pale lilac. 

A short distance from Cor Caroli in the direction 
of the Great Bear is a slightly fainter star called 
“Chara” that marks the right eye of the hound. 
There are no other stars of importance in the picture. 
It is a good thing to know all the pictures even if some 
of them are comparatively modern and contain few 
interesting stars, for they are all a part of the great 
puzzle that we are working out and we do not want 
to leave out any of the pieces. They may contain 
stars that will assist us in locating other pictures. 


COMA BERENICES 
BERENICE’S HAIR 


is 


22 5 


/*n Beoetnasch 
v in 
Ursa Major 


. Cor Carol! 

> in 
Canes Venatici 


Over 


Head 


Arctnrns 

in 

Bootes 


COMA BERENICES 


Denebola 
in Leo 


TindemiatrJjff • 
0 in 
Virgo 



COMA BERENICES 
226 





COMA BERENICES (ko'-ma ber-e-nl'-sez)— 
BERENICE’S HAIR. (Face East.) 

Now behold the glittering maze of Berenice’s hair. 

An imaginary line drawn from the star Benetnasch, 
or Eta Ursae Majoris, the star in the tip of the Great 
Bear’s tail, to Cor Caroli, and prolonged an equal 
distance, brings us to our next star-picture, a coarse 
cluster of faint stars, known as Coma Berenices, one 
of the most “fairylike objects in the sky.” 

This picture is well placed for observation about 
April ist, when early in the evening it is to be seen 
well up the eastern sky, above Arcturus, and to the 
right of Cor Caroli. 

The famous star cluster is a beautiful sight when 
viewed in an opera glass. Few people realize how 
many of the beauties of Starland an opera glass re¬ 
veals. Whenever you are out at night studying the 
stars have one at hand, and you will be delighted 
with the views of double stars of various hues, and 
star clusters that gleam with flashing jewels. The 
sight of the moon is especially attractive seen 
through an opera glass, and considerable detail can 
be identified. 

Mr. Garrett P. Serviss charmingly describes the 
star-picture of Berenice’s Hair as “a curious twin- 
227 


228 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


kling, as if gossamers spangled with dew drops were 
entangled there. One might think the old woman 
of the nursery rhyme who went to sweep the cobwebs 
out of the sky had skipped this corner, or else that 
its delicate beauty had preserved it even from her 
housewifely instinct.” 

The story of this star-picture is as follows: 

There was once upon a time a lady of great beauty 
named Berenice. She was of a royal family, and 
happily married to Euergetes, one of the ancient 
kings of Egypt. When the King was about to set out 
on a dangerous expedition, Berenice was so fearful 
that harm would befall him that she vowed to dedi¬ 
cate her hair to the goddess of beauty if he returned 
in safety. Good fortune attended him, and on his 
return Berenice, true to her oath, cut off her tresses 
and placed them in the temple of Venus. 

Later on, they were missed from the temple much 
to the King’s regret, but Conon his astronomer con¬ 
soled him by publishing the fact that Jupiter was so 
much inspired with the sacrifice that Berenice had 
made that he had taken her tresses from the temple, 
and enshrined them forever among the stars. 

He showed the King and all the people the cluster 
of stars in the sky that represented the Queen’s 
beautiful locks, and for all time they bear witness to 
the loving sacrifice of the beautiful Berenice, 



Photo by Brogi 


Berenice 

Bronze Bust in National Museum, Naples 






CORONA BOREALIS 
THE NORTHERN CROWN 


229 


Draco 


Benetnasch 
in O 
Ursa Major 


\ 


1 

QVCga 
w in 
Lyra 


4 “ 


Over 

Head 


3 

o 




4 


© 


< s 

/ N 

o 

O' 




<J Ras Algethi 
Ras Alliagae 




/ ^ 'o Seginus, 

CORONA o » 

BOREALIS .0 \ \ 

, a YNusalcan Q \ 

X \* \ 

r.VfS Gemma \ > 

Of \ \ 

<v \ t 

\ T 3 VS a™* 




The Head 
of the 
Serpent 


Arcturua 




,W V 


u 


c^ uS 


o 


© 


.© 


Spica 
CJ in 
Virgo 



230 






CORONA BOREALIS (ko-ro'-na bo-re-a'-lis)— 
THE NORTHERN CROWN. (Face East.) 


And midst the glittering symbols of the sky 
The starry crown of Ariadne glides. 

Apollonius Rhodius. 

We will now leave the southern sky and face east 
again to seek one of the most beautiful and graceful 
of the star-pictures, a starry Crown formed by a 
circlet of stars, bearing a close resemblance to a 
crown of sparkling jewels. It lies just off an imagi¬ 
nary line joining Arcturus and Vega, which is the 
brilliant star you will see twinkling in the northeast. 

Turn the book to the right, and you will have the 
correct sky view of this picture at this time. You 
will see a little below the picture of Bootes, the 
charming picture of the Northern Crown. 

The Crown is typically a summer star-picture, but 
is so high in the sky in mid-summer that it is in¬ 
convenient to observe; whereas, in the spring when it 
is rising it is well placed for observation. It rises 
in the east in the early evening about April ist, and 
by mid-spring is well up the eastern sky. 

Corona Borealis is composed of seven fairly bright 
stars, set at about equal distances apart. A line 
drawn from Beta to Delta in Bootes, prolonged an 
231 


232 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


equal distance, points out “Gemma,” the “Pearl of 
the Crown,” the brightest star in the picture, a star 
slightly fainter than Polaris. The Arab name for this 
star was “Alphecca” which means “the bright one 
of the dish,” for they thought that this star group 
resembled a dish (which it does), but the Crown is 
much more beautiful. 

This region of the sky is particularly interesting as 
a new star, or Nova, appeared close to the star 
Epsilon, in the Crown, on the night of May 12, 1866. 
It shone out with the brilliance of Gemma, and for 
eight days it was visible to the naked eye. It was 
known as the “Blaze Star.” 

The idea of a new star is quite a strange one to most 
people, but new stars appear in the sky quite often 
although it is only occasionally that they are very 
brilliant. Astronomers have not as yet found out the 
causes for their appearance. Perhaps it is due to a 
collision between a faint star and a nebula or a swarm 
of meteors. An authority on the subject is of the 
opinion that the phenomenon is due to an explosion 
in the star itself. What a tremendous explosion it 
must be to be viewed by us at such an enormous 
distance! 

If you know your geography of the sky and study 
the stars attentively you may discover a Nova some 
night. It is always worth while to scan the sky 
closely whenever you are out on a clear night to see 
if a new star is visible. They generally appear in or 
near the Milky Way. 

The Crown, according to the old legend, com- 



The Minotaur 

Painting by George Frederick Watts 





CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


233 


memorates the diadem presented by Bacchus to 
Ariadne. It is related that Theseus, son of the 
King of Athens, was shut up in the celebrated laby¬ 
rinth of Crete, to be devoured by the ferocious Mino¬ 
taur confined in that place. A labyrinth is an 
enclosed place crossed by many hidden pathways 
that tend to confuse anyone who enters, and the 
unwary person who once gets into such a place soon 
becomes lost and is as good as imprisoned. 

The Minotaur was a hideous monster, half man 
and half bull, who was accustomed to feed upon the 
chosen young men and maidens that he forced the 
Athenians to send him each year. 

Theseus was one of the unfortunate number 
selected for the sacrifice, but he determined to kill 
the monster. His loved one, the beautiful Ariadne, 
provided him with a sword and a spool of thread 
which he unwound as he penetrated into the laby¬ 
rinth. He was successful in killing the Minotaur, 
and escaped from the labyrinth by following the 
thread. 

Sad to relate, although Theseus married Ariadne 
as he had promised to do he basely deserted her later. 
The god Bacchus, taking pity on her, married her, 
and gave her a beautiful golden crown, which on her 
death was transferred to the stars, and thus this star- 
picture is often called “Ariadne’s Crown.” 

The Shawnee Indians of our own country called 
this star-picture “the Celestial Sisters,” and have an 
interesting legend respecting it, which is a typical 
example of the imaginative power possessed alike by 


234 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


the red men of North America, and the far-off 
wandering tribes of the ancient world. The legend is 
as follows: 

“White Hawk,” a mighty hunter, was searching 
for game. He suddenly found himself on the out¬ 
skirts of a great prairie, where he perceived a circular 
path worn through the grass with no path leading 
to it. While he stood wondering at the strange path¬ 
way, he saw descending from the heavens a silver 
basket containing twelve beautiful maidens. As the 
basket touched the ground they alighted and began 
dancing about the ring, beating time on a silver ball. 
White Hawk endeavored to capture the most beauti¬ 
ful of the maidens, but they all leaped into the basket 
which was instantly carried up into the sky. The 
next day White Hawk revisited the spot disguised as a 
rabbit, and tried in vain to seize one of the dancers. 
The day following, in the guise of a mouse, he was 
more successful, and succeeded in catching the most 
bewitching maiden, and took her home as his bride. 
She soon became homesick, however, and one day 
when White Hawk was absent she made a silver bas¬ 
ket, and singing her magic chant was carried to the 
heavens, where she appears now as one of the bright 
stars near the Crown, the star Arcturus in the star- 
picture of Bootes. 

The Indians also imagined that this star-traced 
circle represented a council of Chiefs, and the star in 
the centre of the circle was the servant, cooking over 
the fire, preparing the feast. 



HERCULES 
THE KNEELER 


235 




HERCULES 

236 



HERCULES (her-ku-lez)—THE KNEELER. (Face 
East.) 


Hercules with flashing mace. 

Bryant. 

We come now to one of the most ancient and 
famous star-pictures in the sky, bearing the magic 
name of “Hercules,” that suggests all sorts of in¬ 
teresting and stirring stories of mighty deeds and 
valiant contests. 

Although properly a summer star-picture, Her¬ 
cules is so nearly overhead in mid-summer that it is 
difficult to trace out his stars without craning our 
necks too much for comfort, so we will look for it in 
the early evening in mid-spring in the northeast and 
east where the huge figure of the giant is rising on his 
side just as the Herdsman rises. 

You will note that in the sketch the figure is up¬ 
right. To obtain the correct sky view, reverse the 
picture and turn the book to the right. The star 
Ras Algethi is in the giant’s head which is to the 
south, while his foot crushes the head of the Dragon 
in the north. 

The picture is not clear of the horizon in the early 
evening until May ist. If you wish to trace it out 
237 


238 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


earlier in the season you will find it up at 9 p.m. April 
15th, and 10 P.M. April 1st. 

In the sketch you will see that Hercules lies 
between Gemma, the bright star in the Crown, and 
Vega, the flashing brilliant in the star-picture of the 
Lyre. 

The four stars Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, and Pi, form the 
figure of a keystone, which enables you to identify 
the picture. 

The origin of this picture is shrouded in mystery. 
The ancients knew it as “the Phantom,” “the Kneel¬ 
ing One,” and “the Man upon his Knees,” and it was 
worshipped in Phoenicia as the sky representative of 
the great star god Melkarth. 

In the giant’s right hand appears a club raised on 
high, and in his left hand he is supposed to hold an 
apple branch in which serpents are entangled. The 
stars representing this branch at one time formed 
a little star-picture or asterism called “Cerberus.” 

The star Alpha Hercules, or “Ras Algethi,” is a 
beautiful double star for a small telescope, with a fine 
contrast of colors, orange-red and bluish-green. The 
Chinese called this star “the Emperor’s Throne.” 

There is a most remarkable telescopic object in 
Hercules which is located between the stars Eta and 
Zeta. It is a great cluster of stars, that is said to 
contain 60,000 stars, a great swarm of flashing suns. 
The largest telescopes are necessary to separate the 
stars and obtain any idea of their glorious nature. It 
is one of a large number of clusters that baffle de¬ 
scription. This cluster is 36,000 light-years away, 



Photo by Brogi 

The Infant Hercules Strangling the Serpents at Pompeii 












CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


239 


and is just visible to the naked eye on a clear night as 
a dim misty patch of diffused light. See if you can 
see it. 

This star-picture immortalizes the name of Hercu¬ 
les, the famous Theban, celebrated in ancient song 
and legend for his “heroic valour and invincible 
prowess.” 

Even in his youth Hercules distinguished himself 
for bravery, for when he was only eight months old, 
he strangled two serpents that the jealous Juno 
placed near him to bring about his death. At an 
early age he killed a ferocious lion that had caused 
havoc among his father’s flocks. 

Our hero was educated by the centaur Chiron, and 
received instruction in chariot driving, archery, and 
fighting, and in singing and playing the lyre, from the 
best instructors. 

For twelve years Hercules was subjected by Juno 
to obey the will of Eurytheus his half brother, and 
was promised immortality if he performed twelve 
tasks that were regarded as impossible. 

These, in spite of every obstacle, he accomplished. 
You must read in mythology of the twelve labors 
imposed on and accomplished by Hercules for they 
make very interesting reading. Space does not 
permit of their recital here. 

Such a display of valor should have earned a 
peaceful end for the hero, but sad to relate, one day 
he unwittingly put on a tunic that contained a deadly 
poison, and in terrible torture he climbed to the sum¬ 
mit of Mount Oeta, where he built a great funeral 


240 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


pyre. On this he spread his famous lion’s skin, and 
reclining upon it thus perished in the flames. But 
Jupiter took pity on him, a cloud descended and 
carried him up to the high heavens, where, it is said, 
he married Hebe, the cupbearer to the gods, and lived 
happily ever after, his stars forever flashing to man¬ 
kind the glory of his fame, and the memory of his 
heroic deeds. 


VIRGO 

THE VIRGIN 


16 


241 


__ ‘Benetnasch 

O in 

Uraa_Major 


A 


? 


<>y 

o o-^Gema 




Cor Caroli 
in O 

Canes Venatici 


Coma 

.. Berenices o o 
O n 

°°o° 

w o 



VIRGO 












VIRGO (ver'-go)—THE VIRGIN. 

(Face Southeast.) 

Below Bootes thou seest the Virgin 
An ear of corn held sparkling in her hand. 

Aratos. 

Facing as directed, to the southeast, you will see 
flashing like the purest diamond, the beautiful white 
star Spica in the star-picture of Virgo the Virgin. It 
is quite unmistakable as there are no other bright 
stars in the vicinity, but if you are in doubt as to its 
identity, take as pointer stars the star Eta in the 
Great Bear and Cor Caroli, an imaginary line drawn 
from the former through the latter, prolonged about 
three times its length, ends near Spica. 

A glance at the diagram of the star-picture will 
show you its position with reference to the star- 
pictures of spring that you already know. The poet 
Aratos thus beautifully describes the Virgin: 

Her lovely tresses glow with starry light; 

Stars ornament the bracelet on her hand 
Her vest in ample fold, glitters with stars; 

Beneath her snowy feet they shine; her eyes 
Lighten, all glorious, with the heavenly rays, 

But first the star which crowns the golden sheaf. * 

243 


244 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


Spica, the “Queen Star of the Spring,” rises soon 
after sunset in the early part of April, and during 
April and May its pure white rays grace the eastern 
skies. Spica is not as bright a star as Arcturus, but 
it is a star of loveliness and charm, typical of gentle 
spring, and balmy breezes. When you know the 
bright stars you will be sure to ascribe to them human 
attributes, for they seem to differ as people do, and 
some have a special attraction for us. 

The name “Spica” means an “ear of wheat, ” and 
you will see in the picture that the star marks the 
sheaf of wheat which the virgin holds in her left 
hand. 

Spica, the typically spring star, is appropriately 
white. It is so far away from us that astronomers 
have not been able to measure its distance. It has 
a companion star, but the attendant on Spica has 
never been seen by mortal eye. The wonderful in¬ 
strument, the spectroscope, has revealed its presence. 

Spica was known in olden times as ‘ ‘ the Star of 
Prosperity,” and the ancient Egyptians built temples 
to the worship of this snow-white sun. A knowledge 
of the fascinating history of the stars adds greatly to 
our interest when we know them intimately, and you 
should study this history so that when you gaze at 
them you may think of all they have meant to the 
people who lived in past and forgotten ages. 

The star Gamma in the Virgin was known to the 
Latins as “Porrima.” Its chief interest lies in the 
fact that it is a double star, a glorious sight in a 
small telescope. The twin suns are of about the 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


245 


same apparent size and brilliance, and revolve about 
a common centre, making one complete revolution in 
about 180 years. 

The star Epsilon bears the name of “Vindemia- 
trix” which means “Grape Gatherer,” because it 
rises in the morning just before the time of the 
vintage. 

Virgo is one of the very ancient star-pictures, and 
doubtless was one of the first to receive a name. It 
lies in the Zodiac, which is the pathway traced in the 
sky along which the sun, moon, and planets appar¬ 
ently move. The Zodiac is divided into twelve equal 
divisions, each one of which is occupied by a star- 
picture. When you are acquainted with all of these 
pictures you will know where to look for the planets, 
which are bodies smaller than the stars, much nearer 
to us than they are, and which shine only by the 
reflected light from the sun. 

According to the poets of old Virgo represents 
Astraea, the daughter of Jupiter and Themis, the 
goddess of justice. During the golden age when, it is 
said, the gods lived upon the earth, Astrasa ruled the 
world and was held in high respect and reverence by 
all mankind. Times changed, and in the succeeding 
Brazen and Iron ages the wickedness of men offended 
the goddess and she left the world to its fate, and 
returned to heaven. She took her place in the 
golden girdle of the Zodiac with the scales of Justice 
(represented by the star-picture of Libra) beside her. 

In ancient Egyptian mythology Virgo was associ¬ 
ated with the goddess Isis. It is related that at one 


246 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


time when she was pursued by the monster Typhon, 
she dropped the sheaf of corn which she held in her 
hand, and the scattered corn became the faint 
glistening stars that form the Milky Way. 

The Chinese, whose astronomy is very ancient, 
call the Zodiac the “Yellow Road” because of its 
resemblance to a pathway strewn with kernels of 
golden corn. 

It may be of interest to note in passing that within 
the confines of this star-picture is what is known as 
“the Field of the Nebulae,” where about three hun¬ 
dred of these dim mysterious gaseous objects are 
scattered about the sky. Unfortunately, with the 
exception of the nebula in Andromeda, they are only 
to be seen in a telescope, but it is worth knowing 
where this “starry meadow” is located, for, as Mr. 
Serviss says, the nebula is “a true symbol of spring, 
the nebulae being in a certain sense, the seeds of 
uncreated suns.” 

There is a vast amount of interesting material 
relating to this ancient and time-honoured star- 
picture which we have not space for here. You will 
surely be interested to read more about the Virgin 
in the stars when you have traced out her stars in the 
sky. 


LEO 

THE LION 



Alpharl 

in Hydra Q ( re d) 



248 


Cancer 


LEO (le'-o)—THE LION. (Face South.) 


Neath her hind feet as rushing on his prey 
The lordly Lion greets the God of day. 

Aratos. 

The above lines refer to the location of the next 
star-picture we will study, the fierce Lion that 
prowls in the sky jungle below the hind feet of the 
Great Bear. 

You recall the two “Pointer” stars in the Great 
Bear that always guide your eyes to Polaris? If 
you imagine a line drawn through them in the 
opposite direction from Polaris, and prolonged 
southward, this will serve to point out to you the 
star-picture of the celebrated Lion in the sky. 

There are six stars in this picture that form a 
figure very like a sickle, which you cannot fail to see 
after you have taken a glance at the diagram which 
gives you the figure outlined. 

“The Sickle, in its entirety,” says Mr. Serviss, “is 
an attractive asterism, and hanging so conspicuously 
in the sky on a spring evening it may be imaginatively 
regarded as a harbinger of the opening of the season 
when the thoughts of men are turning to preparations 
for the future harvests.” 

The stars in the Sickle form the head and fore 

249 


250 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


quarters of the king of beasts, while a triangle 
formed of three stars to the left of the Sickle forms 
his hind quarters. The brightest star in this tri¬ 
angle is named “Denebola.” It is located in the tip 
of the Lion’s tail. 

To make sure that you have located the picture, 
look for the striking figure known as the ‘ ‘ Diamond 
of Virgo.” Beginning with the star Arcturus in 
Bootes let your eyes trace their way up to Cor 
Caroli, then down to Denebola, and to the left still 
further down the sky to Spica in the Virgin. This 
forms a diamond-shaped figure, with a bright star at 
each of its four points, the famous “Diamond of 
Virgo.” 

In mid-spring Leo is about due south in the early 
evening, and well up the sky. The picture is 
seen to good advantage earlier in the year, about 
March ist, when we see it rising in the east about 
8 P.M. 

Leo lies in the Zodiac next to Virgo, and is a very 
ancient and famous star-picture. Regarding the 
twelve star-pictures of the Zodiac there is an old 
rhyme that gives you their names in order. You 
will find this in the Appendix, and if you commit it 
to memory it will always assist you to remember 
the star-pictures along this famous pathway, and the 
order in which they are arranged. 

The brightest star in Leo is the brilliant “Regu- 
lus,” the “King Star,” thus named because from the 
earliest times it was thought to rule the affairs of 
heaven. It was called “the King,” “the Mighty,” 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


25 1 


“the Great,” “the Hero,” by the powerful nations 
that existed thousands of years ago. 

On a very ancient record that has come down to us 
we read: “If the star of the great lion is gloomy, the 
heart of the people will not rejoice.” 

The early Persians regarded Regulus as one of the 
four Guardian Stars of Heaven, the four Royal stars, 
the other three being, Fomalhaut, Aldebaran, and 
Antares, stars that you will come to know later. 

Regulus is white in color, and is located in the 
heart of the Lion, and marks the tip of the handle of 
the Sickle. It is one of the huge stars of the uni¬ 
verse, and the twentieth in the order of brightness. 
Authorities tell us that Regulus sends out three hun¬ 
dred times as much light as our sun. It is so far away 
that it takes its light ninety-nine years to reach us, 
so that we see it to-night not as it is, but as it 
was ninety-nine years ago. In other words, if the 
light of Regulus should be extinguished to-night 
we would not know it till ninety-nine years had 
elapsed. 

Denebola, or Beta Leonis, is the second star in 
brightness in the picture, and is just a trifle fainter 
than Polaris. The name is Arabic and means “the 
Lion’s tail.” It is about ten times as bright as the 
sun, and is twenty-five light-years away. A light- 
year is the unit of measurement of the distance that 
separates us from the stars. It is the distance that 
light travels in one year, at the rate of 186,000 miles 
a second. 

The star Gamma bears the Arab star name of 


252 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


“Algeiba.” It is a beautiful colored double star, 
visible in a small telescope. 

When you are acquainted with the star-pictures 
you must surely get a telescope to explore Starland 
more intimately. Telescopes are very cheap as 
compared with the pleasure they afford, and if you 
have a glass you have a source of enjoyment that is 
inexhaustible and exalting. 

The center of the Sickle marks the spot where a 
wonderful display of meteors occurred in 1833, and 
1866. Meteors are generally but incorrectly called 
“falling stars.” Of course the stars do not fall. 
They are giant suns and if they came anywhere near 
us we should all be burned up. Meteors are only 
particles of matter that are attracted to the earth 
much in the same way that moths are attracted to a 
lighted lamp, except that in the case of the meteors it 
is the mass of the earth that attracts them. As they 
dart toward the earth they encounter the earth’s 
atmosphere and friction sets them on fire, and they 
continue to streak down the sky all aflame leaving a 
long train of fire. Most of them are consumed 
before they reach the earth and only the ashes of 
them reach the earth, but occasionally one is so large 
that it is not entirely consumed and it strikes the 
earth and generally buries itself in the ground. They 
are mostly composed of iron, nickle, and other 
metals, and are enormously heavy. 

Commander Peary brought a nuge meteor back 
from Greenland some years ago, which is now on 
exhibition at the Museum of Natural History in New 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


253 


York City. It is eleven feet long, five feet wide, and 
weighs thirty-six tons. 

The meteors that stream from Leo are called the 
“Leonids,” and we must look for them in November. 
The shower of meteors that occurred on the night 
of November 13, 1833, was most remarkable, and 
doubtless one of the most sublime and awe-inspiring 
sights that human eyes have ever beheld. Then, it is 
said, there was literally a rain of fire. Meteors in 
countless numbers filled the heavens, like showers of 
rockets. People thought that the end of the world 
had come, and there was great excitement, until 
astronomers had explained the phenomenon. 

Every thirty years we may expect an unusual dis¬ 
play, but those since 1866 have been disappointing. 
It is the generally accepted theory that these swarms 
of meteoffi are related to comets that have, for some 
reason or otjrer^rorst and disintegrated. When 
the earth as it circles the sun encounters this scat¬ 
tered collection of cometary matter we are bom¬ 
barded by meteors. Imagine that you are walking 
around some one who is sprinkling a lawn with a 
hose, and if you are near enough to him you will be 
sprinkled by the water at some point. This is 
precisely what happens to the earth in its course, 
it is sprinkled with the scattered bits of some old 
comet. 

According to the ancient Greek fable, Leo repre¬ 
sents the fierce lion that was said to roam about in 
the jungles of Nemaea. It was strangled to death 
by the mighty Hercules after a terrific struggle, and 


254 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


Jupiter, to commemorate the event, placed the Lion 
and his destroyer among the stars. 

The Egyptians were especially interested in this 
star-picture, as they were in terror of their lives 
from lions that roamed about the banks of the river 
Nile when it was in flood. As flood time occurred at 
the time of year when the sun was apparently moving 
through the stars in this picture, it was natural that 
their astronomers should have figured a lion in this 
part of the sky. 

The rising of the river Nile was an all-important 
factor in the lives of the Egyptians, and because the 
sun was in Leo when this great event occurred they 
worshipped these stars. 

From remote antiquity the Lion has been identi¬ 
fied with the Sun, and we see the same figure on the 


Royal Arms of England, symbolizing the Lion of the 


Zodiac. 


Space does not permit of a more extended account 
of the legendary history of this famous group of stars. 


CORVUS 
THE CROW 


255 



/ 

Spica 

in 

Virgo 





CORVUS 


256 




CORVUS (kdr'-vus)—THE CROW. (Face South.) 


The figure of a Crow seems pecking at him. 

Aratos. 

There are two star-pictures closely associated 
with Hydra, as they are located almost on the coils of 
the reptile. These are the pictures of Corvus and 
Crater, the Crow and the Cup, attractive little pic¬ 
tures, particularly the former which we will now seek. 

Corvus is about due south of Cor Caroli, and 
between and below Spica and Denebola. It rises in 
the southeast in the early evening about April 1st, 
and the last week in May we see it about due south. 

The picture contains five stars, three of which are 
fairly bright, and the stars when joined by lines form 
a figure “4” which is easily traced out. The two 
upper stars in this figure called “Gienah” and 
‘ ‘ Algorab ’ ’ make very good ‘ ‘ Pointer ’ ’ stars for Spica, 
the bright star in the Virgin. 

The star “A 1 Chiba” is an orange-colored star, 
and Beta of ruddy yellow hue. Delta Corvi is a fine 
double star, visible in a small telescope, the con¬ 
trasting colors of the twins being yellow and purple. 

The Chinese called this picture “the Red Bird,” 
the Romans and Hebrews ‘‘the Raven,” and in very 

257 


17 


258 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


ancient times it has borne these titles: “the Great 
Storm Bird,” “the Bird of the Desert,” “the Bird of 
the Great Seed,” and “the Storm Wind.” 

It is said that the crow was once of the purest white, 
but it was changed to its present sable hue for tale 
bearing. “A fit punishment for such a fault,” says 
Burritt. 

According to the Greek fable, the Crow was placed 
among the stars by Apollo. Apollo, we are told, fell 
in love with Coronis, but being of an extremely jealous 
disposition, he sent a crow to spy upon the object 
of his affections. The Crow discovered that Coronis 
was untrue to Apollo and informed him of the fact; 
then 


the color left his look 

The wreath his head, the harp his hand forsook; 
The silver bow, and feathered shafts he took, 

And lodged an arrow in her tender breast, 

That had so often to his own been prest. 

To reward the Crow for his service as an informer, 
Apollo placed the bird among the stars, but we can¬ 
not look upon him with a very high regard, when we 
think of his base actions. 

It is also said that this star-picture takes its name 
from the daughter of Coronaeus, King of Phocis, who 
was transformed into a crow by Minerva to rescue 
the maid from the pursuit of Neptune. 

Another myth relates that Apollo sent the Crow to 
bring some water for a sacrifice to Jupiter, but the 
bird tarried at a fig tree till the fruit became ripe, 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


259 


and then returned to the god with a water snake in its 
claws, and a lie on its tongue, claiming that the snake 
occasioned the delay. Apollo perceived the untruth, 
and to punish the Crow, placed him among the stars 
with the Cup and the Snake. The latter was 
charged never to allow the Crow to drink, so the Crow 
is forever tantalized with the cup of water near at 
hand into which he can never dip his bill. 

This is one of the few cases where a creature was 
placed among the stars by the gods as a punishment. 











CRATER 
THE CUP 




261 





202 


CRATER 












CRATER (kra'-ter)—THE CUP. (Face South.) 


Midway 

His volume is the Cup. 

Aratos, referring to Hydra. 

Many people who have a pretty good knowledge 
of the star-pictures have never seen the Cup in the 
sky owing to the fact that it is composed of rather 
faint stars, and is well down the southern sky. 

Study the diagram and sketch of the picture and 
these will guide you in your search for the Cup, but 
it is useless to look for it unless you have a clear 
moonless night. 

The bowl of the Cup is fairly well outlined by faint 
stars. The two upper stars in Corvus point to the 
right to Crater which stands next to it on the coils of 
the Hydra. 

Crater is due south in the early evening in mid¬ 
spring, May 8th, and this is a good time to search for 
it. The star ‘ ‘ Alkes ’’ is common to the star-pictures 
of Hydra and Crater. 

In the old atlases the Cup is usually represented in 
the form of a large urn, elaborately ornamented, 
with two handles set opposite each other, and rising 
above the rim of the bowl. 

Regarding the legendary ownership of the Cup we 
26 3 


264 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


have quite a choice. It has figured as the Cup of 
Apollo, Hercules, Achilles, Dido, Medea, Bacchus, 
Icarius, and even Noah’s wine cup. 

For the Egyptians, the rising of Crater was an 
event of some importance, as at this time the river 
Nile reached its greatest height, and the people knew 
that its flood would soon recede. 

There is an ancient vase in the Warwick collection 
on which are inscribed the following lines: 

Wise ancients knew when Crater rose in sight, 
Nile’s fertile deluge had attained its height. 

Crater was known in England two or three centu¬ 
ries ago as the “Two-handed Pot.’’ 


CANCER 
THE CRAB 


265 


r 



x ao, » Minor 
O Procyoj* 



CANCER (kan'-ser)—THE CRAB. (Face South¬ 
west.) 

. . . and there a crab 
Puts coldly out its gradual shadow claws. 

Mrs. Browning. 

The star-pictures that we have been studying 
have been composed of fairly bright stars, and it has 
not been at all difficult to trace them out; but now we 
come to one that contains only faint stars. 

Cancer, the Crab, is the most inconspicuous star- 
picture of the twelve that comprise the Zodiac. It is 
appropriate that only dim stars should mark such a 
creature, for a Crab is certainly insignificant as 
compared with a Bear or a Lion, for instance. After 
all, it is well that some of the star-pictures are faint 
and rather difficult to locate, for this makes the 
search for them all the more interesting. 

You will need a good clear night, when the moon is 
not in the sky, to see the star-picture of the Crab. 
Study the diagram carefully, then draw an imaginary 
line from Denebola to the star Gamma in the 
‘"Sickle.” Extend this line an equal distance, and 
it will end in the star-picture of Cancer. 

The stars of the Crab form a “Y” shaped figure, 
but the “ Y” is upside down thus A. Directly below 
267 


268 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


this inverted “Y” is a pretty group of five stars 
that form the head of Hydra, the Water Snake, a 
picture that we will study later. To obtain the 
correct sky view of Cancer from the sketch turn the 
book to the right. 

Cancer is due south about 8 p.m. April 1st. In 
mid-spring we must look for it in the southwest well 
up the sky. 

About at the junction point of the upright, and the 
branching lines that form the inverted “Y,” you 
will see a dim, misty-looking object which has been 
often mistaken for a comet. It is a beautiful cluster 
of stars called “Praesepe, the Manger,” but a more 
familiar name for it is “the Bee Hive.” It has been 
said to resemble a “bit of star-spangled cobweb 
floating in the sky.” You must be sure to look at 
the cluster with your opera glass, for it is a glorious 
sight. The cluster contains 363 stars; see if you can 
count them all! 

This interesting object serves to identify the star- 
picture. The first sight of these stars by Galileo, 
filled him with delight and amazement. It was one of 
the first conquests of his telescope. 

The star named “Acubens,” which is the Arab 
name of Alpha Cancri, is located in the southern claw 
of the Crab. The name means “the Claws.” 

The “Bee Hive” is in the centre of a four-sided 
figure formed by four faint stars, as indicated on the 
sketch. You will note that the two brighter stars of 
this figure are named “Asellus Australis,” and 
“Asellus Borealis,” Greek star names that mean 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


269 


the southern ass and the northern ass respectively. 
The Greeks and Arabs imagined that these two stars 
represented two asses feeding at the Manger. 

The “Bee Hive” has quite an interesting history, 
for in ancient times it was regarded as a sort of 
barometer or weather guide. Pliny thus refers to the 
cluster: 

“If Praesepe is not visible in a clear sky it foretells 
the coming of a violent storm,” and Aratos in like 
vein writes: 

A murky Manger with both stars shining unaltered, is a 
sign of rain. 

The star Iota Cancri is a fine wide double star. A 
good field glass should divide the pair, but a small 
telescope is required to show the beautifully con¬ 
trasting colors of the twin stars, which are yellow 
and blue. 

The star Zeta Cancri is a triple star, but a tele¬ 
scope is required to see the three stars. The system 
is particularly interesting to astronomers. 

Macrobius tells us that the name “Cancer” was 
selected by the Chaldeans to represent this star- 
picture, because the crab, being an animal that walks 
backwards or obliquely, well typifies the sun’s appar¬ 
ent retrograde movement when it was in this part of 
the Zodiac. 

According to the Greek legend, while the valiant 
Hercules was engaged in his famous contest with the 
dreadful Lernasan monster, Juno, envious of the 


270 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


fame of his achievement, sent a sea crab to bite and 
annoy the hero’s feet; but Hercules quickly crushed 
it under his heel, and Juno, to reward the creature 
for “doing its bit” so to speak, persuaded Jupiter 
to place the crab among the stars. 

The following story accounts for the presence of 
the two asses in this star-picture: 

Once upon a time, the god Bacchus while on his 
way to the temple of Jove, came to a marsh which 
barred his way. He perceived two wild asses brows¬ 
ing about near by, and mounting one, crossed the 
marsh dry shod. In gratitude for this service 
rendered by the faithful creature, he placed both of 
them among the stars. 

All through mythological history we find many 
instances where lowly creatures, by reason of a serv¬ 
ice that they cheerfully rendered, were immortalized 
by a place in the high heavens, where they shine 
down upon us nightly, ever proclaiming the truth to 
mortals that good deeds have their reward. 


HYDRA 

THE WATER SNAKE 


271 


OArcturus o 

in o 

Bootes. - Leo 1 O * 

O O c? 

Denebola Regulu3 


c 6 




272 


HYDRA (hi'-dra)—THE WATER SNAKE. (Face 
South.) 

But lo! afar another constellation, 

They call it Hydra like a living creature. 

'Tis long drawn out. His head moves on below 
The midst of the Crab; his length below the Lion 
His tail hangs o'er the Centaur’s self. 

Frothingham’s Aratos. 

It is fitting that, after studying the stars of the 
Crab we should seek out the star-picture of another 
sea creature, this time a huge snake, the sky mate of 
the sea serpent that every once in a while mariners 
tell us they glimpse rising out of the ocean. 

A glance at the diagram and sketch will show you 
where to look in the sky for this starry serpent. 
Start with a fairly bright and attractive group of 
stars that mark the head of the creature which faces 
west. You will see it a little below the inverted 
“Y” of Cancer. 

The coils of the snake, marked by faint stars, can 
be traced on a clear moonless night all the way across 
the southern sky in the early evenings in mid-spring 
underlying the star-pictures of the Lion and Virgin. 

Hydra contains only one bright star called “Al- 
phard” or “Cor Hydrae,” which means “the solitary 
273 


18 


274 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


one.” It is orange in color and lies in the heart of 
the reptile, below, and about an equal distance from 
Regulus in Leo and Acubens in Cancer. Because 
of its color and the lonely position it occupies you can 
hardly fail to see it. 

Now trace the faint stars eastward, that is to the 
left, well down the sky below Regulus, Denebola, 
and even to the left of Spica. 

An imaginary line drawn from the star Delta in the 
Virgin through Spica, extended a trifle over its length, 
points to the star Pi in Hydra which marks the tip of 
the reptile’s tail. 

According to the old legend, the Hydra was a 
terrible monster that lived near the marshes of Lerna. 
It had a large number of heads which were peculiar 
in this respect, as fast as one was cut off, two im¬ 
mediately grew in its place, unless the wounds were 
seared with a hot iron. 

The hero Hercules set himself the task of slaying 
this terrible creature, and was assisted by his faithful 
nephew Iolaus, who, as fast as Hercules cut off a 
head applied a red hot iron to the wound. In this 
way the monster was quickly slain. It was while 
Hercules was killing the monster that Juno sent 
a crab to annoy him, as you read in the story of 
Cancer. 

Hercules dipped his arrows in the gall of the Hydra, 
and this rendered a wound from them incurable. 
The central head of the creature was supposed to be 
immortal and this one Hercules buried deep under a 
rock. 



Photo by Anderson 

Hercules and the Hydra 

Uffizi Gallery at Florence 


* 












CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


275 


The long extended and serpentine figure of the 
Hydra somewhat resembles a wandering stream, and 
the Egyptians regarded this star-picture as a 
heavenly counterpart of their famous river Nile. 








THE STAR-PICTURES OF SUMMER 


2 77 



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goasaad 




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Over 

Bead* 


CERBERUS 


ERCULI 


fHIUCHUS* 


®° 0 RPI U& 


s. 

O Stars of the first magnitude 
A Variable etare 
;•*: Nebula 

Maps showing the principal stars visible from Lat. 40° N. at 9 o’clock, July first. 

278 








1 UP u3 








THE STAR-PICTURES OF SUMMER 


Silently one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven, 
Blossom’d the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the 
angels. 

Longfellow. 

Summer is the most favorable season of the year 
for beginning the study of the starry skies, partly 
because the nights are comfortable out of doors, and 
partly for the reason that summer is the vacation 
season when people are spending their leisure time at 
the seashore or in the mountains, and have an oppor¬ 
tunity of enjoying the beauty that nature bestows 
on life. 

When the day is done and we stroll out in the early 
evening along mountain paths, or sit on the porch 
overlooking the sea, the call of the twinkling stars 
lures our gaze upwards, and then it is that we are 
captivated and charmed with the beauty of the shin¬ 
ing hosts, and long to know the names of the stars, 
and the fascinating history of the ancient star- 
pictures. 

Let us first take a glance at the diagram and look 
particularly at the star-pictures of the northern sky, 
which region we will first explore, for the North Star 
and its immediate neighbors are with us the year 


279 


NORTH 



280 













CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


281 


round, and we should seek their acquaintance 
first. 

Turn the book upside down to obtain the correct 
view of the star-pictures as they appear in the north¬ 
ern sky in the early evening in mid-summer. 

Within the circle on the diagram you will notice 
the five star-pictures bearing the names of Ursa 
Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and 
Draco. These are the circumpolar star-pictures 
that continually circle about Polaris, the North Star, 
in a direction contrary to the hands of a clock. 

The stars do not really move about the pole, and 
this movement is only an apparent one, for it is the 
earth that is in motion and this movement makes the 
stars appear to move. 

You have often been on a train that has stopped 
at a station close to a train on another track. You 
look out at this train, and presently you feel sure 
that your train is in motion, although there is no 
noise to indicate that fact; and then you look closely 
and perceive that your train is at rest, and the other 
train is pulling out of the station. 

We see the same thing when we survey the night 
sky. The earth is so large that we do not realize 
that it is in motion, but it turns about on its axis 
once in every twenty-four hours. 

Take a long hat pin and thrust it through the 
centre of an orange. Let the orange represent the 
earth. Twirl the pin about, holding it at each end, 
and you have a very good illustration of the way 
the earth turns on its axis. The earth turns east- 


282 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


ward, and this makes the sun and stars appear to 
rise in the east and set in the west. 

It is well to caution you at the outset to select as a 
place of observation a spot where there are no arti¬ 
ficial lights in the vicinity, as these tend to dim the 
light of the stars. To illuminate the pages of your 
book, use an electric pocket flashlight with a piece of 
red tissue paper covering the bulb, which gives you 
sufficient light and yet does not dazzle the eye. 

Now for the pictures: Search first for the famous 
star-picture of Ursa Major, otherwise known as the 
“Great Bear” and “Big Dipper.” The “Dipper,” 
composed of seven fairly bright stars hangs down the 
sky, open to the west, and you should have no 
difficulty in seeing the figure. 

The stars on the diagram bear the Greek letter 
star names. You will find the Greek alphabet in the 
back of the book. It is well to learn this for it will 
aid you in studying the star-pictures, and enable 
you to identify stars that have not been otherwise 
named. 

The stars Alpha and Beta in the “Big Dipper” are 
called “the Pointers,” because a line drawn from 
the latter through the former and extended guides 
you always to the most celebrated of all stars, Po¬ 
laris, the North Star. Always remember this rule, 
and wherever you are you will always have a faithful 
guide on every clear night. 

To the right of the Pole, at about the same dis¬ 
tance from it as the “Big Dipper,” you will see five 
stars about as bright as Polaris that form a widely 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


283 


extended letter “W”; this is the star-picture of 
Cassiopeia, “the Lady in the Chair.” 

Above Cassiopeia, and to the right of Polaris, is a 
house-shaped group of five faint stars that mark 
the star-picture of Cepheus, “the King.” It is not 
easy to trace out this picture for the stars are dim, 
and you need a clear moonless night, but the diagram 
will assist you to locate the figure. 

Polaris is in the tip of the tail of the “Little Bear” 
or Ursa Minor, and at the end of the handle of the 
“Little Dipper,” whichever you choose to call it. 
The stars of this picture are also faint, with the ex¬ 
ception of Beta and Gamma, which are called “the 
Guardians of the Pole.” 

Curving about between the Bears, as traced out on 
the diagram, you will see the huge figure of Draco, 
the Dragon. It is a long extended serpentine figure 
that is a little difficult to trace out, but the diagram 
will assist you. If you like puzzles, and most people 
do, you will find it great fun to search for these 
somewhat obscure pictures. 

You now know the famous star-pictures that we 
see all the year round in the northern sky. They 
assume different positions as they circle the Pole but 
their stars always remain in their same relative 
positions. 

A diagram of the positions assumed by the “Big 
Dipper” at different seasons is given in the first part 
of the book, and under the description of the star- 
pictures of autumn you will find many interesting 
stories concerning the circumpolar star-pictures. 














LYRA 

THE LYRE 



LYRA 


erculeg 



















LYRA (li'-ra)—THE LYRE. (Face East.) 


The Lyre whose strings give music audible 
To holy ears. 

Lowell. 

While we have been tracing out the northern 
star-pictures, we have been struck with the beauty 
of a dazzling bluish star almost overhead in the early 
evening sky. 

This is the charming star Vega, in the star-picture 
of Lyra the Lyre. An imaginary line drawn from 
Polaris through the head of the Dragon points to 
Vega. The little picture that it presides over con¬ 
tains five other fairly bright stars close to it which 
form an attractive four-sided figure, which is out¬ 
lined in the sketch. 

Mathematicians call such a figure a parallelogram, 
that is, a four-sided figure whose opposite sides are 
parallel and equal. 

‘ The Lyre rises in the northeast in the early evening 
about May 1st, and from then until August it climbs 
the eastern sky higher each succeeding night until 
September 1st, when, at 8 P.M., it crowns the heavens 
and is directly overhead. 

Vega has been called “the Arc light of the Sky,” 
because of the bluish tint of its resplendent rays. 

287 


288 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


It is the brightest star in the northern skies, although 
only slightly brighter than Capella and Arcturus. 

Capella you may see setting low in the northwest in 
the early evening about the middle of June. If you 
are out studying the stars about this time, you will 
have a chance to compare the light and color of Vega 
and Capella. 

To obtain the correct view of the star-picture of the 
Lyre at this season, turn the book to the right, and 
you will see that the four stars forming the parallelo¬ 
gram are below and to the right of Vega. In the late 
autumn and winter when Lyra is setting in the 
northwest in the early evening, the parallelogram is 
to the left and above Vega. 

Vega is visible at some time of the night every clear 
night in the year, and as it reigns overhead all sum¬ 
mer it may be regarded as the Queen of the summer 
skies. Its bluish-white hue suggests a diamond, and 
it is a fairly young star. The spectroscope reveals 
that it is a gigantic globe of flaming hydrogen gas of 
intense heat. Vega is thirty-four light-years away 
from us. This means that it takes the light from 
Vega thirty-four years to reach us traveling at the 
rate of 186,000 miles a second. 

If our sun, which is so bright that we cannot look 
at it directly, were placed out in space at the same 
distance that Vega is from us, it would appear as a 
tiny star just visible to the naked eye, very much 
of the same brightness as the two faint stars close to 
Vega. This gives you some idea of the enormous 
distance that separates us from this beautiful star. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


289 


Vega is a particularly interesting star to us, as the 
earth and all the planets are being dragged along by 
the sun toward Vega at the rate of twelve miles a 
second. Vega is also speeding to meet us at the rate 
of ten miles a second, yet it is so distant from us 
that half a million years must elapse before our sun 
and Vega pass each other. 

Fourteen thousand years ago Vega was the Pole 
star, and eleven thousand five hundred years from 
now it will again occupy that position. This is due 
to a peculiar shifting of the earth’s axis called “pre¬ 
cession.” 

The Arabs called Vega “the Falling Vulture.” 
The Chinese and Japanese name for it is “the 
Spinning Maiden,” and it has also been called “the 
Harp Star.” Seven thousand years before the birth 
of Christ Vega was worshipped in Egypt. When 
you gaze at this blazing star think of the wonder 
and awe with which it was regarded by the ancient 
Egyptians and the worship they paid it. 

For its size Lyra is the most interesting star-picture 
of them all, for, besides containing the brilliant Vega, 
and marking the goal of our sun, it also contains a 
noted quadruple star, a celebrated variable star, and 
the famous “Ring Nebula.” 

The quadruple star is Epsilon, the faint star at the 
left and below Vega at this time of the year. If 
you have sharp eyes you will see that it is a double 
star, the two stars appearing to be very close together. 
If you cannot see the double look at it with your 
opera glass, which you should always have at hand 


10 


290 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


when you are out studying the stars, for such a glass 
reveals a great deal that is interesting and beautiful 
in Starland. A small telescope reveals that each of 
the two stars of the double are in turn double, and 
here, where there is at first glance one star, there are 
really four. 

A variable star is one in which we note a change 
and fluctuation in its light. We are accustomed to 
think that the stars always shine with the same 
brightness, just as the fixed lights in the lighthouses, 
along the coast do; but, just as some of the coast 
lights are what are called revolving lights that shine 
brilliantly only at certain intervals, so many of the 
stars change their light and are sometimes bright and 
sometimes faint. Astronomers do not know the 
reason for these light changes, but the problem is 
being investigated by many observers, and we hope in 
time to solve it. 

The star Beta in Lyra is a noted variable star, 
and as it is plainly visible to the naked eye you can 
observe its light changes, but you must not look for 
any great change. A text book on astronomy will 
inform you of the amount of the change if you wish to 
study its variations. 

Between Gamma and Beta is the noted “Ring 
Nebula,” which is only visible in a telescope, and it 
takes a large one to reveal its beauty. The ring 
resembles a hazy smoke ring and in the centre of it is 
a faint star presenting a charming appearance. 

A nebula is a diffused mass of gaseous matter, 
and there are thousands of these objects in the sky, 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


291 


but for the most part they are only visible in 
telescopes. 

According to the ancient legend the star-picture of 
Lyra, or the Harp, represents the instrument which 
Apollo or Mercury gave to Orpheus. Orpheus was 
such a skillful player of the harp that all nature 
was thrilled and charmed with his playing; it is said 
that rivers ceased to flow, the wild beasts became 
tame, and even the mountains, rocks and trees 
listened with pleasure to the magic music of his 
harp. 

For Orpheus’ lute was strung with poet’s sinews; 
Whose golden touch could soften steel and stones, 
Make tigers tame, and huge leviathans 
Forsake unsounded deeps to dance on sands. 

Orpheus married the beautiful nymph Eurydice, 
but, sad to relate, the bite of a serpent caused her 
death. Her heart-broken husband resolved to re¬ 
cover her even if he perished himself in the attempt, 
and taking his harp, he entered the mysterious abode 
of departed spirits presided over by Pluto. 

Pluto was completely charmed with the magic of 
his playing, and agreed to release Eurydice on the 
condition that, as they emerged from the gates of 
death, Orpheus was not to look backwards. 

To this condition Orpheus agreed, but, just as he 
was about to reach the world of the living again, his 
desire to see Eurydice who was following him over¬ 
came his resolve not to look back ? At bis glance 


292 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


Eurydice vanished, and he was never able thereafter 
to gain admission to her abode. 

Grief-stricken, Orpheus wandered about from 
place to place, forsaking all companionship, and, it is 
said, that the Thracian women were so incensed at his 
indifference to them that they tore his body to pieces 
and threw his head into the river Hebrus; yet even 
dismembered, as it was, from his body, the head of 
Orpheus still uttered the name “Eurydice.” 

After his death he was buried with the highest 
honors at the foot of Mount Olympus, and Jupiter 
placed his harp amid the stars where it now mingles 
its sweet strains with the music of the spheres. 

There is a plaintive charm about this legend that 
seems to blend appropriately with the beautiful stars 
that form the celebrated star-picture of the Lyre 
and on a mild night in summer, when all the world 
seems at peace, and in an attitude of listening in 
imagination, you, too, may sense the strains of dis¬ 
tant music, divinely sweet as you gaze at the Lyre, 
and think of the lovers Orpheus and Eurydice. 

In very ancient times Lyra was regarded as one of 
the three birds opposed to Hercules, while the 
Phoenicians regarded it as a tortoise. In Bohemia 
Lyra was called the “Fiddle in the Sky,” and the 
ancient Britons knew it as “King Arthur’s Harp.” 

Lyra marks the place in the sky where, about 
April 20th, we may expect to see meteors (falling or 
shooting stars as they are incorrectly called) darting 
across the heavens. These are small particles of 
metallic substances attracted toward the earth much 



Photo by Anderson 


Orpheus and Eurydice 

Villa Albani, Rome 



























CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


293 


as moths are attracted by a flame. They encounter 
our earth’s atmosphere, the friction sets them afire, 
and they dart toward the earth, leaving a trail of fire 
behind them. Most of the meteors are entirely 
burned up before they reach the earth, but occasion¬ 
ally a large one is not entirely consumed and its 
remaining mass buries itself in the ground. Many 
specimens of meteors have been collected and are 
on exhibition in our best museums. Meteors are 
supposed to be the scattered parts of old comets. 
The shower of meteors that radiate from Lyra are 
called “the Lyrids,” their flight is very swift and you 
must be sure to look for them. 


















































CYGNUS 
THE SWAN 



295 


•30 


•5 



Over 

Head 


O Enif 
e in 
Pegasus 


°C? 

7 

Delphi nus ^ 


V 


Sagitta 


1 /° . 
Q Altaic 

O Aquila 



CYGNUS 

296 



CYGNUS (sig'-nus)—THE SWAN, OR THE 
NORTHERN CROSS. (Face Northeast.) 

Yonder goes Cygnus the Swan, flying southward. 

Below the Lyre, in the eastern sky in the early 
evening about July 1st, you will see the famous 
Northern Cross rising sideways. 

A glance at the sketch shows you the location of 
its brightest star Deneb, below and to the left, that 
is, to the north of Vega. An imaginary line drawn 
from the star Delta in Hercules through Vega, 
extended an equal distance, points out Deneb, if you 
are in doubt of its identity. Deneb marks the top 
of the Cross. The Northern Cross is not as brilliant 
a figure as the celebrated Southern Cross, but its 
stars form a more perfect cross than its counterpart 
in the southern hemisphere. 

Cygnus lies in the jeweled region of the Milky Way, 
that cloud-like band that girdles the sky. Its cloud¬ 
like misty appearance is due to the fact that it is 
composed of a myriad suns that are apparently so 
close set that they give the appearance of a continu¬ 
ous band of light, or a river of mist that winds its 
way through the purple fields of night. 

Sweep over this region with your opera glass, and 
you will exclaim with pleasure at the many beautiful 
297 


298 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


sights the glass reveals. See the clusters and star 
streams, the double and multiple stars of various 
hue. It is like gazing at a display of rare jewels 
spread out on a cloak of black velvet, and the spark¬ 
ling array and beautiful coloring of the stars is a 
fascinating and glorious sight. 

In the region included in the triangle formed by the 
stars Alpha, Gamma, and Epsilon, you will see a 
place devoid of stars, a sort of window in the Milky 
Way, through which we seem to peer into the depths 
of unfathomable space. 

This is one of the famous “Coal Sacks” of the sky, 
and at present astronomers are much mystified over 
their appearance. There is a theory that these may 
not be open spaces at all, but dark bodies that lie 
between us and the background of the star-strewn 
Milky Way. It is certainly an interesting thought 
that there are objects in the heavens that are not 
luminous. We know that there are many dark stars, 
suns which, like burned out embers from a furnace, 
have lost their heat and brightness, but the thought 
that there are other dark and irregularly shaped 
bodies in the heavens is a novel one. 

It is most fitting that the Cross should be seen to 
splendid advantage Christmas eve, when, at nine 
o’clock, it stands upright, transfixed seemingly to the 
western sky by golden nails, a beautiful symbol 
of the Christian faith, proclaiming the coming of the 
Saviour of Mankind. 

Deneb is an Arab star-name meaning “the Tail,” 
and it marks the tail of the Swan. Another name for 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


299 


the star is “Arided” which means “the hindmost.” 
It is a white star and its distance from us cannot be 
measured, so that it must be a sun of immense 
size. It ranks about twentieth in the order of star 
brightness. 

Not far from Deneb you will note on the sketch a 
star marked 61. This star was for a long time 
thought to be our nearest neighbor; now it ranks fifth 
in the list of the nearest stars to us. It is a double 
star and just visible to the naked eye. 

Beta Cygni, or Albireo, is one of the most beautiful 
colored double stars in the heavens. The twin suns, 
a blue and a gold in color, present a charming sight 
in a small telescope. 

This whole region of the sky is a veritable mine of 
pleasure and interest to the possessor of a telescope 
and even an opera glass reveals many charming 
sights. 

There are various legends to account for this star- 
picture. Some suppose that it represents Orpheus, 
who was changed at his death into a swan, and 
placed near his magic harp in the sky. 

Another story is that this is the Swan into which 
Jupiter changed himself when, unknown, he visited 
Leda, wife of Tyndarus, the King of Sparta. 

Again we are told that these stars represent 
Cygnus, son of the King of the Ligurians, and a rela¬ 
tive of Phaethon’s, concerning whom you will read 
in the description of the star-picture Eridanus, a 
winter star-picture. Cygnus was so disconsolate over 
the death of Phaethon that Apollo took pity on him, 


300 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


turned him into a Swan, and placed him among the 
stars. 

It is also said that the Swan represents Cygnus, a 
son of Neptune, whom no one could harm with blows 
or missiles. Achilles tried in vain to inflict a mortal 
wound on him, and finally succeeded in smothering 
him to death. As Achilles was about to rob the 
unfortunate Cygnus of his armor, the gods changed 
him into a Swan and placed him in the sky. 

The Arabs knew Cygnus as “the Flying Eagle,” 
and the Greeks called it “the Bird.” This region of 
the sky seems to abound in birds, just as another 
portion of the sky seems to contain fishes and aquatic 
creatures. Here we have in addition to the Swan, 
Lyra, which some of the ancients called “the Swoop¬ 
ing Eagle,” or “Falling Vulture,” Aquila the Eagle, 
a star-picture that will be described in the next 
chapter. 


\ 








AQUILA 
THE EAGLE 


301 


OAlbireo 

O in 

Tnlnoctda Cygrnu* 

and 
Annet 

or 



Delpbinous 


Job’s Coffin 


Tarazed 


'Altair 


Alschain 


a variable 


AQUILA 





AQUILA (ak'-wi-la)—THE EAGLE. (Face 
Southeast.) 

Divides the ether with her ardent wing 
Beneath the Swan. 

The diagram of the summer star-pictures shows 
you clearly the location of the star-picture of Aquila, 
the Eagle. 

You will note that an imaginary line, drawn from 
Vega through the parallelogram in Lyra, directs you 
to the Eagle. Altair, the bright star in Aquila, is at 
the apex of a triangle formed by joining with imagi¬ 
nary lines the stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair. 

You can hardly mistake Altair, the beautiful star 
which in mid-summer sparkles half-way up the 
southeastern sky. It has two attendant stars, one 
above and one below it, and the three stars in line 
form a striking group known as ‘‘the family of 
Aquila.” 

The stars of the Eagle joined together by lines in 
the sketch form the figure of a rude arrowhead. 

The little picture of Antinous (an-tin'-o-us) is 
linked with the larger star-picture of Aquila because 
the ancient legend closely associates the two pictures. 

Altair rises a little north of the exact eastern point 
on the horizon in the early evening about the middle 


303 


304 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


of June, and sets in the early evening about the 
middle of December, so that all summer long it 
graces the sky and you will have the pleasure of 
seeing it. 

Mrs. Martin in her attractive book, “The Friendly 
Stars,” thus beautifully alludes to the advent of 
Altair in the sky: 

“There comes a soft June evening with its lovely 
twilight that begins with the song of the wood-thrush 
and ends with the strenuous admonitions of the 
whip-poor-will; and, almost as if it were an impulse 
of Nature, one walks to the eastern end of the porch 
and looks for Altair.” 

There is nothing about the arrival of Altair in the 
sky in the spring of the year that is spectacular, as is 
the case with the advent of those glorious suns Arctu- 
rus and Vega, but she steals into the sky timidly and 
seems to tremble there as if half afraid, and shyly 
reveals her beauty to us before we are scarcely aware 
of her presence. 

Altair is pale yellow in color, the eleventh in order 
of star brightness, and sixth in the list of the nearest 
stars, being 13.7 light-years distant. 

The star Eta in Aquila is a remarkable variable 
star, and as it is fairly bright you can note its light 
changes which are exceedingly interesting. 

It remains at its brightest for forty hours, then 
gradually grows fainter and fainter for sixty-six 
hours. It remains stationary in brightness for thirty 
hours, then slowly regains its original brightness. 
Its total variation in light is a full magnitude. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


305 


If you are going to study the stars you should have 
an idea of the brightness of the stars of different 
magnitudes. The term “magnitude” refers to the 
light of the stars, not their size or mass. Turn to the 
chapter that describes the star-picture of Ursa Minor, 
the “Little Bear.” Consult the sketch and you will 
see that the figure contains stars of the second, third, 
fourth and fifth magnitude. Study these stars 
attentively and you will see that their difference in 
magnitude is equal in each case; that is, that the third 
magnitude star is two and one-half times fainter than 
the second magnitude star Polaris, and two and one- 
half-times brighter than the fourth magnitude star, 
and the difference in the magnitudes of all the stars 
is measured in the same ratio. 

We cannot see stars fainter than the sixth magni¬ 
tude. The large telescopes photograph stars down 
to the twentieth magnitude. Alt air is a first magni¬ 
tude star and two and one-half times fainter than 
Polaris, the standard second magnitude star by 
which all the other stars are measured. 

This information, although a little technical, is 
given for the reason that at any time a new star may 
appear and you may be the fortunate discoverer. 
You will thus have knowledge that will enable you to 
measure its brightness, and you should report your 
discovery immediately to the nearest Observatory. 

Antinoiis, a native of Bithynia, was a, youth of 
great beauty. He was a great favorite of the Em¬ 
peror Hadrian, and believing that the Emperor’s life 
could be prolonged by his death, he plunged into the 


30 


306 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


river Nile and was drowned. The Emperor was so 
touched by this act of devotion and self-sacrifice that 
he erected a temple to his memory, founded the great 
city of Antinoopolis on the bank of the Nile in his 
honor, and further immortalized him by giving his 
name to some of the faint stars in the star-picture of 
Aquila. 

There are various stories to account for the ancient 
star-picture of Aquila. In Greece, Aquila was 
regarded as the Bird of Zeus, and is represented 
as bearing aloft in his talons a beautiful boy whose 
name was Ganymede. It appears that Jupiter was 
so struck with his beauty that he wished him to be 
his cup bearer, and sent the Eagle to seize and carry 
him up to heaven. Some say that Jupiter himself 
impersonated the Eagle on this mission. 

Aquila and Lyra are linked together in the curious 
and attractive Chinese legend of the Spinning Damsel 
and the Magpie Bridge, a myth current in Korea also. 
It is as follows: 

A cowherd fell in love with the spinning damsel. 
Her father in anger banished them both to the sky 
where the cowherd became Alpha, Beta, and Gamma 
Aquilae, and the spinning damsel the star-picture 
Lyra. 

The father decreed that they should meet once a 
year, if they could contrive to cross the river (the 
Milky Way). This they were enabled to do by their 
friends, the magpies, who still once a year, the 
seventh night of the seventh moon, congregate at 
the crossing point, and form a bridge for them to 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


307 


pass over. In Korea, if a magpie is seen about its 
usual haunts at this time the children stone it for 
shirking its duty. According to Lafcadio Hearn, 
this legend is the basis of the Japanese festival called 
4 ‘ Tanabata. ’ ’ The sky lovers here are known as 4 4 the 
Herdsman and the Weaver,” and when the meeting 
occurs it is said that the lover stars burn with five 
different colors. If rain falls at the time set for the 
crossing, the meeting fails to occur. For this reason 
rain on the Tanabata night is called the 4 4 rain of 
tears.” 

The Turks called Aquila “the Hunting Eagle,” 
and all through the ages it has been known as a bird 
of prey. 

On the night of June 8, 1918, a wonderful new star 
flashed out in this star-picture. It was brighter 
than Altair and rivaled Vega in splendor, being the 
brightest Nova that has appeared in three hundred 
years. The star waned rapidly, and at this writing 
is a star of the ninth magnitude. 


DELPHINUS 
THE DOLPHIN 
(JOB’S COFFIN) 


309 





° Vulpecular ° Albireo 


and 

A riser o 

o 

o O 


Vega i 
in 


DELPHINUS 
4 4 

Rotanev •r-r-fn Sualocin 


Deneb 



oSagitta 

^7 




pV 

Aquila 



DELPHINUS 

3io 


DELPHINUS (del-fi'-nus)—THE DOLPHIN OR 
JOB’S COFFIN. (Face East.) 


The Dolphin small to sight floats 
O’er the Goat. 

Aratos. 

There is an extremely attractive little star-picture 
called Delphinus the Dolphin, or Job’s Coffin, in this 
region of the sky. 

The diagram shows its location between the Swan 
and the Eagle. An imaginary line, drawn from the 
star Lamda to Beta in Aquila and extended, points 
it out. 

The stars in Delphinus are faint, four of them 
form a diamond-shaped figure, and if the night is 
clear you should see this figure without difficulty. 
It is a very pretty sight in an opera glass. 

There is a story that the Dolphin was placed among 
the stars by Neptune, because it was the Dolphin 
that persuaded the goddess Amphritite, who had 
vowed that she would never marry, to become the 
wife of Neptune; but the best story we have concern¬ 
ing the Dolphin associates it with Arion, who was a 
native of Lesbos, and far famed as a poet and 
musician. 

It appears that, having achieved great fame and 


312 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


riches abroad, Arion embarked on a ship to return 
home, but the sailors, being envious of his great 
wealth, plotted to kill him and rob him of his property. 

Arion became aware of this plot, and begged the 
sailors to allow him to play upon his lute before he 
was put to death. The sailors agreed to this, but no 
sooner had he started to play than the sweet strains 
attracted a great number of Dolphins around the 
ship. 

Arion suddenly leaped overboard among them 
and, it is said, that one of the pretty creatures carried 
him on his back safely to the shore where he hastened 
to the court of Periander, denounced the sailors, and 
when their ship came into port they were all killed, 
which was good enough for them. 

But (past belief) a dolphin’s arched back 
Preserved Arion from his destined wrack; 

Secure he sits, and with harmonious strains 
Requites his bearer for his friendly pains. 

Again the dolphins performed a worthy service in 
the case of the famous poet, Hesiod, who was mur¬ 
dered. His body was thrown into the sea, but a 
dolphin conveyed it to the shore, and thus the crime 
was discovered. The murderers were tracked down 
and drowned as a fitting punishment for their crime. 

Taras, said to be the founder of the City of Taren- 
tum, was saved from shipwreck by a dolphin, and in 
memory of his preserver the figure of a dolphin was 
stamped on one of the coins of the time. 



Photo by Brogi 


Cupid and Dolphin 

National Museum, Naples 










CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


313 


Thus we see that the dolphins were distinguished 
by their good deeds, and rightly deserve a place of 
honor among the stars. 

Three of the stars in the Dolphin are named. Two 
of these names are very strange, but if you spell them 
backwards they read Nicholaus Venator which is the 
Latin name of the astronomer who assisted the 
famous astronomer Piazzi. 

In Greece, the Dolphin was regarded as the Sacred 
Fish, the sky emblem of philanthropy. The Arabs 
called this star-picture the “Riding Camel,” and 
certain sects of the Greek Church thought that these 
stars represented the Cross of Jesus Christ, placed in 
the sky after his crucifixion. The Chinese knew this 
figure as a Gourd. 

No one knows how the title “Job’s Coffin” came 
to be applied to this star-picture, but the title is 
known to many who know few, if any, of the more 
famous star-pictures. 









SAGITTA 
THE ARROW 


3*5 













■ 






















































































* 


























































SAGITTA—THE ARROW 


There is another small star-picture near Del- 
phinus that is worth knowing. It is called ‘ ‘ Sagitta, ’ ’ 
the Arrow. It is situated in the Milky Way about 
midway between Altair and the star Beta in Cygnus. 
It bears a close resemblance to an arrow, and the 
picture is a very ancient one. 

According to one authority this is the arrow with 
which Apollo killed the Cyclops, the great one-eyed 
giants that at one time were said to dwell upon the 
earth. Apollo had revenge on them, because they 
are said to have furnished Jupiter with the thunder¬ 
bolts to kill iEsculapius. 

We are also told that this was one of the arrows 
used by Hercules to kill the hideous vulture. It ap¬ 
pears that Jupiter had caused Prometheus to be 
chained to a rock on the summit of Mount Caucasus, 
where he was attacked by a fierce vulture that was 
gnawing at his vitals, when Hercules drew his bow 
and his unerring shaft killed the wicked bird. 

Sagitta has also been regarded as Cupid’s arrow, 
and this, it seems to me, is an attractive name for it, 
and when we gaze upon this starry arrow we should 
think of this pretty fancy, and of the good St. 
Valentine. 


3x7 









OPHIUCHUS AND SERPENS 

THE SERPENT BEARER AND THE 
SERPENT 


3*9 


Corona Borealis 


Gemma v 


1 

O Altafr 

in 

Aquila 




OPHIUCHUS 

320 


V 




OPHIUCHUS (of-i-u'-kus) — THE SERPENT 
BEARER. SERPENS, THE SERPENT. 

(Face South.) 

Thee, Serpentarious, we behold distinct, 

With seventy-four refulgent stars. 

Eudosia. 

A great giant in the sky now claims our attention. 
His name is Ophiuchus, or Serpentarius, because, as 
you will see by the picture, he has fast hold of a 
gigantic serpent that writhes across the sky, with its 
forked tongue darting at the beautiful Northern 
Crown, the circlet of stars that lies between Hercules 
and Bootes. 

We have here two star-pictures combined in this 
figure. The giants, Hercules and Ophiuchus, lie 
with their heads almost bumping each other, facing 
in opposite directions. The bright star Ras Al- 
hague, which means “the Head of the Serpent 
Charmer,” marks the giant’s head, while the star 
Ras Algethi is located in the head of Hercules. Two 
pairs of stars adorn the shoulders of Ophiuchus, who 
appears to be trampling underfoot the Scorpion in 
spite of the fact that his feet are bare. 

In the early evening in mid-summer Ophiuchus is 
directly south and splendidly placed for observation. 
321 


21 


322 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


An “X” shaped group of stars mark the head of 
the Serpent just below the Crown, and then you can 
trace the fairly bright stars downward and to the left 
across the southern sky until you come to the star 
Theta, which marks the tip of the Serpent’s tail. 
This star lies on a line between Altair and the pair of 
stars ih the right shoulder of Ophiuchus. 

The little group of four faint stars, a little to the 
left of Beta and Gamma in Ophiuchus, is known 
as “the Bull of Poniatowskia,” the Polish Bull, 
a modern star-picture no longer recognized by 
astronomers. 

The star Alpha in the Serpent which bears the curi¬ 
ous Arab name “Unuk al Hay,’’ lies in the heart of 
the Serpent. 

Ophiuchus is a very old star-picture known to the 
ancients fully twelve hundred years before the birth 
of Christ. 

According to the Greek legend, Ophiuchus repre¬ 
sents the renowned physician ^Esculapius, the in¬ 
ventor and god of medicine, with whose worship 
serpents were always associated. 

^Esculapius was educated either by his father 
Apollo or Chiron the Centaur, and is said to have 
been such a skillful physician that he could even re¬ 
store the dead to life. This extraordinary power so 
alarmed Pluto, who reigned over the region of the 
dead, that he persuaded Zeus to remove ^Esculapius 
from the earth and place him among the stars. 

In the middle ages Ophiuchus was sometimes 
regarded as representing Moses with the Brazen 



Photo by Anderson 


Laocoon 

Museum of Vatican, Rome 














CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


323 


Serpent. It is also claimed that Ophiuchus repre¬ 
sents Laocoon, a son of Antenor. At the famous 
siege of Troy it is said that he thrust a spear through 
the celebrated wooden horse, and to punish him for 
this, two sea serpents attacked and strangled in then- 
folds Laocoon and his two sons. There is a noted 
piece of statuary in the Vatican at Rome depicting 
this tragedy. 

The southern portion of this star-picture is worth 
sweeping over with your opera glass; near the star 
Theta you will see another of the dark gaps in the 
Milky Way known as “Coal Sacks,” that are a 
source of great interest to astronomers. 












































/ 















SCORPIUS 
THE SCORPION 


325 


S agittariua 


O 

C 


o 

V 


OP bl 







3 

7 


U S 



326 





SCORPIUS (sk6r'-pi-us)—THE SCORPION. 
(Face South.) 


There is a place above where Scorpio bent 
In tail and arms surround a vast extent 
In a wide circuit of the heavens he shines 
And fills the place of two celestial signs. 

Ovid. 

Directly below Ophiuchus, in the southern sky in 
the early evenings of mid-summer, you will see a line 
of stars that curve up to the left like a fish-hook. 
One of these stars is very bright and of a fiery red 
hue. It is the star Antares in the heart of the 
Scorpion. 

The figure traced out by the stars, as shown in the 
sketch, does not look unlike the creature it repre¬ 
sents. In fact the curved tail with which the Scor¬ 
pion stings its victims appears ready for action and 
about to dart at the exposed foot of Ophiuchus, the 
giant that treads upon the creature. 

Scorpius is one of the star-pictures of the Zodiac, 
which is the imaginary pathway in the sky traversed 
by the Sun, Moon, and Planets. It is divided into 
twelve equal parts, in each of which is a star-picture. 

You should memorize the rhyme at the end of the 
book which names the star-pictures of the Zodiac in 
327 


32 8 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


the order in which they appear in the sky. This will 
be of great assistance when you come to study the 
Planets which will be described in a later chapter. 

An imaginary line drawn from Ras Alhague in 
Ophiuchus through the star Zeta, extended a short 
distance, points out the three stars that mark the 
Scorpion’s head. 

The ruddy Antares in the Scorpion’s heart is one 
of the most interesting stars in the sky. Its name 
is Greek, meaning “a rival of Mars,” which, as we 
will see later, is the name of a Planet noted for its 
red color. 

The Arabs knew this star as “the Scorpion’s 
Heart,” and it was one of the four “Royal Stars” of 
Persia 3000 B.c. In China it was known in ancient 
times as “the Fire Star,” and thousands of years be¬ 
fore the birth of Christ Antares was worshipped in 
Egypt. 

Antares is a double star of great beauty. Con¬ 
cealed in its flaming red heart is an emerald green 
star which can be seen in a telescope of moderate size. 
Antares rises in the southeast at sunset on the first 
day of June, and is due south at 9 p.m. on July nth. 
It is a young star, a giant in size, and the seventeenth 
in order of brightness, and at the enormous distance 
from us of three hundred and eighty light-years. 

The stars from Mu to Upsilon were known to the 
Polynesian islanders as “the Fish-hook of Maui,” 
the hook with which their god Maui drew up from 
the depths of the sea the great island called 
“Tongareva.” 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


329 


To the north and east of Shaula and Lesuth, the 
twin stars that mark the uplifted sting of the Scor¬ 
pion, look in your opera glass for the beautiful star 
clusters marked 6 M. and 7 M. on the sketch. They 
are very beautiful objects. The figures and letters 
used here and in many of the sketches refer to the 
cluster numbers as given in Messier’s Catalogue of 
the star clusters discovered by him. 

The old stories concerning the Scorpion connect 
it with Orion, the Giant Hunter of the skies, whose 
star-picture is the feature of the night sky of winter. 

The Scorpion was said to have sprung out of the 
earth at the command of the goddess Juno, and biting 
the foot of Orion caused his death. Juno in this way 
punished the hero for his vanity, for he had boasted 
that he could conquer every creature on earth. The 
insignificant Scorpion destroyed the Giant and now 
forever teaches by its presence in the sky the folly of 
vain boasting. 

The star-pictures of Orion and Scorpius are so 
placed that they never appear in the sky at the same 
time. Aratos thus expresses it: 

When the Scorpion conies 

Orion flees to the utmost end of earth. 

The Scorpion is also associated with the story of 
the runaway accident in which Phaethon came to 
grief, which you will read about in the story of the 
star-picture of Eridanus in the winter group. It seems 
that, as the runaway steeds of the sun went careering 


330 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


across the sky bearing the terrified Phaethon, the 
Scorpion stung the horses to madness and they 
plunged wildly, overturning the chariot, and 
Phaethon was dashed to the earth. 

This region of the sky is famous as marking the 
place where many brilliant new stars have appeared. 
Learn to know all the stars in the picture well, and 
look at the figure whenever you are out on a clear 
summer’s night, and perhaps you, too, will win fame 
as the discoverer of a Nova. Who knows? 


SAGITTARIUS 
THE ARCHER 



331 



o •*» 



o The Southern Ci-own 



ro 

o 

o 

<s 

o o •* 

K* 

_O O 

/ 



o 


o 


© 




o 



332 













SAGITTARIUS (saj-i-ta'-ri-us)—The ARCHER. 

(Face Southeast.) 

Midst golden stars he stands refulgent now 
And thrusts the Scorpion with his bended bow. 

Ovid. 

Closely associated with the Scorpion in the sky, 
and east of it in the Zodiac, is the star-picture of 
Sagittarius, the Archer. 

Low down in the southeastern sky to the left of 
the Scorpion you will see his “golden stars,” and 
in the sketch you will note that the Archer with bow 
stretched is aiming a shaft at the heart of the 
Scorpion, the creature that humbled the mighty 
Orion. 

The stars forming the Bow, three in number, are 
arranged much as the stars in the head of the Scor¬ 
pion appear, but they have more space between them, 
and the star Gamma to the right of the Bow marks 
the tip of the arrow that is ever threatening the 
Scorpion. 

An imaginary line drawn from the star Pi in 
Scorpius to Antares, prolonged about four times its 
length, points out the famous “Milk Dipper” in 
Sagittarius, which takes its name from the fact that 
the figure lies in the Milky Way. The “Dipper” is 
333 


334 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


formed by the stars Phi, Sigma, Tau, and Zeta, and 
its handle by the stars Lamda and Phi. The Milk 
Dipper is sometimes called “the Hobby Horse of 
Sagittarius.” In the star-picture it is upside down 
and thus makes a poor receptacle. 

You will note on the sketch the location of two 
star clusters that are beautiful sights in an opera 
glass. 

A little below the cluster 8 M. you will note a *. 
This marks the place which the sun occupies Decem¬ 
ber 21st of each year, the most southerly point in the 
sky reached by the sun. 

If you wish an additional guide to direct you to 
this star-picture, draw an imaginary line from Deneb 
in the Swan through Altair in the Eagle, this when 
extended southwards points out the star-picture of 
Sagittarius. 

Sagittarius contains several of the famous “Coal 
Sacks ” in the Milky Way, the dark spots in which no 
stars appear. They are located near the stars 
Gamma, Delta, and Lamda. 

Below the Milk Dipper is a ring-shaped group of 
stars called Corona Australis, “the Southern Crown.” 
You cannot see this attractive star-picture unless 
you have a very clear night and an unobstructed 
view of the southern horizon. 

According to the Greek legend, Sagittarius repre¬ 
sents the celebrated Centaur, Chiron, a figure half 
man, half horse. He was the son of Saturn and 
Philyra, and is said to have changed himself into a 
horse in order to escape from his jealous wife, Rhea. 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


335 


Chiron was famous in his day for his knowledge of 
medicine, music, and shooting, and taught mankind 
the use of plants for medicinal purposes. He was a 
celebrated instructor and his pupils numbered among 
others such famous personages as Apollo, Hercules, 
^Esculapius, Achilles, Jason, and A£neas. 

According to some authorities, Chiron was killed 
by Hercules for insulting his wife, but others say that 
he came to his death from the scratch of one of the 
poisoned arrows that Hercules carried, arrows that 
you recall were steeped in the blood of the Lemean 
monster that Hercules killed. He suffered such 
agony from the wound that Jupiter took pity on him 
and placed him among the stars. 

The Centaurs were, it is said, an ancient race that 
inhabited Mt. Pelion in Thessaly, and Chiron was 
the most famous of them all. He is sometimes called 
“the Bull Killer,” and the meaning of this name is 
that when the stars of Sagittarius rise in the east they 
seem to drive those of Taurus, the Bull, below the 
western horizon out of sight. 
























































































































LIBRA 

THE SCALES 


22 


337 



o 





LIBRA 

338 




LIBRA (ll'-bra)—THE SCALES. (Face South¬ 
west.) 

Libra weighs in equal scales the year. 

Thomson. 

Passing to the right or west of the Scorpion in the 
southwestern sky in the early evening in mid-sum¬ 
mer, we come to the star-picture of Libra, the Scales. 
It is situated in the Zodiac about midway between 
Antares and the beautiful white star Spica in the 
Virgin, which you will see well down the western sky. 

Libra is not a bright or a very interesting picture. 
Its stars form a four-sided figure, as you will note in 
the sketch. Two of the stars in this figure, Alpha 
and Beta, are about as bright as the stars in the head 
of the Scorpion. Alpha is a wide double star, and 
Beta is noted for its color, a pale emerald, an unusual 
star color. 

In ancient times these stars represented the claws 
of the Scorpion. The title “Libra” we owe to the 
Romans. The picture appears to have originated in 
the time of Julius Caesar, and in his day it was re¬ 
garded as the balance of ASstraea, the goddess of 
Justice, upon which the fate of mortals was weighed. 

It is supposed that the figure of the balance in this 
region of the sky refers to the fact that, when the 
339 


340 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


sun is in this picture, the days and nights are of equal 
length. 

The tillers of the soil, according to Virgil, regarded 
these stars as indicating the time of year for sowing 
their winter grain. 

But when ACstraea’s balance hung on high, 

Betwixt the nights and days divides the sky, 

Then yoke your oxen, sow your winter grain, 

Till cold December comes with drenching rain. 

According to the Greek legend, the star-picture of 
Libra represents Mochus, the inventor of weights 
and measures, and thus perpetuates his memory. 

The ancient Hebrews and the early inhabitants of 
India and China regarded these stars as representing 
a celestial balance. 


\ 






THE MILKY WAY 



* 


34i 




the mile:y way 


A way there is in heaven’s extended plain, 

Which, when the skies are clear, is seen below, 

And mortals by the name of Milky, know; 

The groundwork is of stars. 

Manilius. 

On any clear night during the year, when the moon 
is absent from the sky, you will see a band of light 
stretching across the heavens that resembles filmy 
white clouds, or the mists rising from a winding 
stream. 

This is the famous Milky Way, and a telescope re¬ 
veals that the cloudy appearance is caused by the 
presence of a multitude of stars that are seemingly 
so close together that the naked eye cannot separate 
them. 

This shining pathway in the sky is seen to best ad¬ 
vantage during the months of July, August, Septem¬ 
ber, and October. To trace out the Milky Way in 
the winter season, start near the head of Cepheus 
the King, thence it runs through the star-pictures of 
Cassiopeia, and Perseus, and part of Auriga. It 
divides Gemini and Orion, and passes between the 
two Dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor, thence 
twining down into the southern skies beyond our ken. 


343 


344 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


During the summer you start again at Cepheus, 
thence the stream of stars makes its way to Cygnus, 
where the path divides into two starry roads that 
run parallel, the lower one through Aquila the Eagle, 
Sagittarius, and Scorpius, the upper one through 
Ophiuchus and Scorpius. 

Use your opera glass to trace the course of the 
Milky Way, and you will be delighted and amazed at 
the beautiful sights the glass reveals of the myriad 
lights that gleam along the way; particularly is this 
true of the region in Cygnus and Sagittarius. In 
the former, note the dark gap, or “Coal Sack,” in 
the Milky Way within the triangle formed by the 
stars Alpha, Gamma, and Epsilon. 

There are many of these vacant places in this 
thickly sown pathway of stars, and it is not known 
whether they are rifts in the Milky Way, or dark 
bodies interposed between us and the stars. 

All through the ages the Milky Way has been 
observed by man, and it bears many fanciful titles, 
for it is easy to imagine that it is a starry path, a 
heavenly river, or a glistening snake. 

Our Algonquin Indians imagined that the Milky 
Way was the path of departed souls, and the bright 
stars along the way marked the camp-fires built by 
the departed as they journeyed toward their eternal 
home. The poet Longfellow, in his beautiful poem, 
“Hiawatha,” thus alludes to this attractive fancy 
regarding the Milky Way: 

Telling him a fire to kindle 
For all those who died thereafter, 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


345 


Camp-fires for their night encampments 
On their solitary journey 
To the kingdom of Ponemah 
To the land of the hereafter. 

And again in the same poem we read: 

Many things Nokomis taught him, 

Showed the broad, white road to heaven, 
Pathway of the ghosts, the shadows, 

Rising straight across the heavens. 

The Greeks called the Milky Way “the Road to 
the Palace of Heaven.” They imagined that along 
this road stood the palaces of the illustrious gods, 
while the common people of the skies lived on either 
side of them. They also thought that this was the 
path taken by the chariot of the sun when it was 
driven by that rash youth Phaethon, whose sad 
story you may read in connection with the star- 
picture of Eridanus, the River Po. 

There is a pretty Swedish legend that tells of two 
lovers who longed to be near each other forever, but, 
sad to relate, after their death they found that they 
dwelt in separate stars far removed from each other. 
They longed so to be together that they set about 
building a bridge of light between their stars so that 
they might cross over and once more be close to each 
other, and the Milky Way was the starry bridge 
built by these devoted lovers that enabled them to 
fulfill their heart’s desire. 

The Japanese have a similar myth. They re- 


346 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


garded the Milky Way as a silver stream twining 
across the sky, and you remember the story of the 
Magpie Bridge that is related in the description of 
the star-picture of Aquila, the Eagle, where once a 
year the lovers met by crossing the Milky Way. 

The Chinese also imagined that the Milky Way 
was a river, and they observed that when the moon 
was seen in the sky, the river disappeared from view. 
This, they said, was because the silvery fishes that 
swim about in the river hid themselves when the 
moon appeared, as the new moon seemed to them to 
be a silver fish-hook which they were wary of. 

Another curious fancy relating to the Milky Way 
was that of the ancient Peruvians. They imagined 
that it represented the dust of the stars, and we find 
the same idea current among the Pawnee Indians, 
who thought the Milky Way was the dust kicked 
up by a buffalo and a horse racing across the 
sky. 

In ancient Judaea and Armenia the Milky Way 
was regarded as a Long Bandage wrapped around the 
heavens. According to a beautiful French legend 
the stars in the Milky Way are lights held by angel 
spirits to show mortals the way to heaven. 

There are many strange stories to account for the 
Milky Way. According to mythology, the way was 
formed by the milk dropped from the breasts of Juno 
when she was suckling the infant Hercules. 

The early Egyptians fancied that the dropping of 
innumerable wheat heads formed this famous path¬ 
way in the sky. The ancient Britons had the follow- 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


347 


ing names for the Milky Way: “Watling Street,” 
“Asgard’s Bridge,” and “the Fairies’ Path.” 

It is fascinating to look upward on a summer’s 
night at this wide stretching band of light that arches 
the sky like a great white bow, and think of the 
stories and legends that the people of all ages have 
woven about it. Now that we know the reason for 
the cloudlike appearance of the Way we are filled 
with wonder at the thought of the innumerable 
suns that compose it. 

In one rich region of the Milky Way, Sir William 
Herschel counted within the space of one hour 
116,000 stars that passed before him in review in the 
field of vision of his telescope. Truly the Milky 
Way is the most sublime and majestic sight that the 
night reveals to human eyes, and if the fancy is true 
that it is the road taken by departed souls what must 
the glory of heaven be to have such a jeweled and 
glorious pathway leading to it! 



THE ZODIAC 


349 


I 


































SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC 


... a broad belt of gold of wide extent, 
Wherein twelve starry animals are shown, 
Marking the boundaries of Phoebus’ zone. 

Luiz de Camoens’ Os Lusiadas. 

Before taking up the study of the Planets, which 
is necessary as these wandering bodies are often mis¬ 
taken for stars, we must identify the path they travel 
in their ceaseless circling of the sun. 

This planet track is a definite right of way bounded 
by imaginary lines drawn on the night sky, which it 
completely girdles, and the name of this path is the 
Zodi ac. 

The Zodiac is divided into twelve equal divisions, 
in each of which is a star-picture. Their names are 
given in order in the ancient rhyme which you will 
find in the appendix, and which you should memorize. 

The names of these twelve star-pictures in the 
order in which they appear in the sky together with 
their symbols are as follows: The Ram T, the Bull 
b, the Twins F, the Crab ®, the Lion &, the 
Virgin TCP, the Scales —, the Scorpion Ft, the Archer 
the He-Goat V?, the Water-Bearer «*, and the 
Fishes X. 

You know these star-pictures if you have studied 

351 


352 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


the book carefully, and if you see a bright starlike- 
looking object in any one of them you may be quite 
sure that it is a planet. There are only three planets 
that will be apt to confuse you, and in the Chapter 
on the Planets you will be informed how to identify 
them. 

The path of the Zodiac is only sixteen degrees 
wide. You recall that the “Pointer stars” in the 
Big Dipper are five degrees apart; the path of the 
Zodiac is therefore only a little over three times this 
distance in width. 

The Planets all keep strictly within the boundaries 
of this pathway, and will not trouble you in the least 
as far as the star-pictures outside the Zodiac are 
concerned. 

The almanacs keep us informed of the star-pictures 
of the Zodiac in which the planets are moving, and 
this information will always guide you in identifying 
them. A glance should really tell you whether the 
bright starlike body is a planet or not, for the stars 
twinkle because of their great distance from us, 
whereas the planets, which are comparatively near, 
glow with a steady light quite unlike starlight. 


THE PLANETS 


353 



THE PLANETS 


We will assume that you are acquainted with the 
star-pictures, and that the starry skies are no longer 
a puzzle to you, but a source of friendly interest and 
pleasure. 

There are, however, bodies in space that are not 
stars but resemble them very much, and are often 
mistaken for them. These starlike objects are in 
constant motion, and you can easily see that it is 
necessary for you to know them for otherwise you 
will be confused by their appearance in the sky, and 
will not find them on the diagrams. You might 
think they were new stars. 

These shining bodies are called “Planets,” from a 
Greek word meaning a wanderer. The Earth is a 
planet, and there are seven others all belonging to 
the Sun’s family, which is known as the Solar Sys¬ 
tem. All of the planets circle about the Sun, just 
as the Moon turns constantly'about the Earth, and 
the stars appear to circle about the North Star. 

The Planets differ in this respect from the stars, 
they shine with reflected light from the Sun, just as 
the Moon does, whereas the stars are all great suns 
and the light they flash to us is that of the fire that 
glows-within them, 


335 


356 


CHILDREN'S STAR BOOK 


You have often held a small mirror in such a posi¬ 
tion that you threw a beam of sunlight on different 
objects, lighting them up with the sun’s light re¬ 
flected from the mirror. You can regard the Planets 
as so many mirrors in the sky on which the Sun 
shines and reflects its light from them into our eyes. 

If the Sun’s light was extinguished we would not 
see the Planets at all, they would disappear from 
view the minute the Sun no longer shone, but we 
would still see the stars shining in the sky as if 
nothing had happened. 

Because of the fact that the Planets are nearer to 
us than the stars they do not twinkle as the stars do, 
but burn with a steady light, and this fact helps us to 
identify them. 

We should naturally be very much interested in 
the Planets for they are our neighbors and relatives, 
and in the Sun we have with them a common parent. 
Then there is always the fascinating thought that 
some of them may be inhabited by intelligent beings 
whom we may be able to communicate with some 
day. 

How thrilling it would be to learn that a message 
that we could interpret had been received from one 
of the Planets! We would all be anxious to learn 
what was happening on another world, and we might 
learn of many interesting inventions that would be 
of lasting benefit to the race. Nothing is impossible, 
and some day communication may be established 
with one of the Planets. 

You might think that it would be very confusing 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


357 


to have these starlike bodies wandering about in the 
sky, and that it would be difficult to recognize them, 
but it is really very easy to make their acquaintance 
for they each have some distinguishing feature that 
enables us to recognize them. 

Only six of the Planets are visible to the naked 
eye, and two of these are seldom seen, as one is close 
to the Sun, comparatively speaking, and can only be 
glimpsed at certain times, while the other is very 
faint and you could barely see it unless you knew 
exactly where to look for it. This leaves only four 
Planets to identify and they are easily recognized. 

You are now ready to be introduced to the Sun’s 
family, and we will present them to you in their order, 
counting outward from the Sun. The diagram 
shows you their circling paths about the Sun as they 
would appear if you looked down on them from a 
great height. 

These are the names of the Planets: 

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, 
Uranus, and Neptune. The Earth, you will note, 
lies between Venus and Mars, so these Planets are 
our nearest relatives and especially interesting on 
that account. You will learn to love Venus, for she 
is the brightest of the Planets and the most beautiful 
object in the night sky, excepting the Moon. 

Mars is an object of wonder and mystery, for it 
is suspected by many that it is inhabited, but we 
are by no means sure of the fact. Now that you 
know the names of our Planet relatives you will wish 
to know something about each of them and how to 


358 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


recognize them. Space will not permit of our telling 
you very much about them, but we will take them 
up in the order named and state the important facts 
concerning each of the Planets. 


MERCURY 


Mercury, the “Swift Messenger of the Gods,” is 
the smallest of the Planets and the nearest to the Sun. 
It is 3000 miles in diameter, and 36 million miles 
from the sun around which it moves, making one 
complete revolution in eighty-eight days, the year of 
Mercury. It is thought to turn once on its axis in 
the same time, and has no moon circling about it to 
add to the beauty of its night skies. 

Because of its rapid motion, and its nearness to 
the Sun Mercury is difficult to see and will not bother 
you in the least as far as the identification of the star- 
pictures is concerned. It is worth while, however, 
to hunt for the Planet for the satisfaction of seeing 
this relative of ours. 

If you will attach a short piece of string to the 
stem of an apple and let the apple swing between you 
and a lighted lamp, just as a clock pendulum swings, 
you will note that when the apple is directly between 
you and the light that it is indistinct because of the 
glare of the light, but when it reaches the end of its 
swing on either side of the lamp you see it perfectly, 
though momentarily. 

The motion of Mercury, as it appears to us, is 
very similar in appearance to that of the swinging 


359 


360 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


apple. Of course the Planet really revolves com¬ 
pletely about the Sun, but seen on the background of 
the sky, Mercury appears to swing like a pendulum 
between us and the Sun. 

When the Planet is directly between us and the 
Sun the glare of the Sun hides it from our view, but 
at certain times it reaches the farthest point on 
either side of the Sun, and then it is that we can see 
the Planet plainly for a few days at a time. 

The almanacs generally state the times when 
Mercury reaches these favorable positions, which are 
called points of elongation east and west. These 
occur generally during the months of March, April, 
August, and September. 

Under the best conditions we can see Mercury six 
times a year, three times in the evening shortly after 
sunset, low in the western sky, and three times in the 
early morning just before sunrise in the eastern sky. 

Mercury is never more than twenty-eight degrees 
from the Sun, and this distance is about the distance 
between the first of the ‘‘Pointer Stars” in the Big 
Dipper and the North Star. 

The most convenient time to look for Mercury is 
some evening in spring when your almanac tells you 
that Mercury is at the point of eastern elongation. 
Select a place that commands an uninterrupted view 
of the western horizon, and soon after sunset begin 
to search for the Planet to the left or south of the 
point of sunset, obliquely, that is in a slanting direc¬ 
tion, up the sky from it, and at a distance from the 
place of sunset about equal to four times the dis- 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


361 


tance separating the “Pointer Stars’’ in the Big 
Dipper. It is well to use an opera glass to aid your 
search, which, if you have patience, is sure to be re¬ 
warded with a shy glance from Mercury which may 
appear to twinkle because of the haze of the horizon. 

Mercury appears brighter than Arcturus, the bril¬ 
liant star in the star-picture of the Herdsman, and is 
somewhat red in color. In the telescope the planet 
is a charming sight as it takes the moon’s phases. 
The view of the silvery crescent of Mercury is 
entrancing. 

Few people, comparatively speaking, have ever 
seen Mercury. Copernicus, one of the founders of 
the science of Astronomy, wrote: “I fear that I 
shall descend to the tomb without having seen the 
planet,’’ and his fears were realized for he died 
without beholding it. 

If for no other reason than the rarity of the sight, 
the planet is worth searching for, and it is really great 
fun to hunt for it. I hope you will not rest content 
until you have seen this shy neighbor of ours. 

Owing to the fact that Mercury is fairly close to 
the Sun there is little chance of its being inhabited, 
and it is not a planet that interests us on that 
account. 

The Greeks called Mercury “Apollo,” “the god of 
Day,” and Mercury the god of Thieves, who take 
advantage of night to commit their evil deeds; for 
they saw in Mercury two different planets, one a 
morning, the other an evening planet, which was 
quite a natural mistake. 


362 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


The Egyptians and Indians made the same error. 
The former called Mercury, “Set and Horus,” the 
latter “Boudda and Rauhineya,” divinities of Day 
and Night. Another Greek name for Mercury was 
“the Sparkling One,” and when astrology was in 
vogue the planet had an evil reputation. 

The almanacs represent the different planets by 
symbols, that for Mercury is § , the conventionalized 
form of the wand carried by the fleet-winged mes¬ 
senger of the gods, as a symbol of his power, just as 
the silver gray hound is the symbol of authority 
carried by the King of England’s messengers. 


VENUS 


What Mercury lacks in brillance the planet Venus, 
the next in order counting outward from the Sun 
makes up for. It is the brightest object in the night 
sky with the exception of the Moon, and conse¬ 
quently easy to identify. Its brilliance is largely 
due to the fact that it is the nearest planet to us. 
Venus is so bright that it casts a shadow and can 
easily be seen at noonday. It is six times as bright 
as Sirius, the brilliant Dog Star. 

Venus is 67 million miles from the Sun it circles, 
and is almost the size of the earth, being 7629 miles 
in diameter. It is often called our “Sister Planet.” 

At its nearest approach to us Venus is 23 million 
miles away, nearer to us than any other heavenly 
body save the Moon and one asteroid. The Planet’s 
year is 225 days, the time it takes to make one com¬ 
plete revolution about the Sun. Owing to its dense 
atmosphere of clouds which we cannot pierce, the 
length of its day has not been definitely determined. 
Venus like Mercury does not possess a Moon, al¬ 
though astronomers have often searched for one. 

As Venus is between us and the Sun it appears to 
swing as a pendulum, just as Mercury appears to do, 
being seen alternately, first on one side and then on 
363 


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CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


the other side of the Sun, to the east and west of it, 
alternately an evening and morning star respectively. 

When Venus is east of the Sun we see it as a glori¬ 
ous star in the west, in the twilight, growing brighter 
and more beautiful each moment in the waning light 
of day. We can never mistake it because of its sur¬ 
passing brilliance. An almanac will inform you 
when it is an evening star, and then you will always 
see it in the west and south of the point of the sunset, 
and never over three hours from the Sun; that is, it is 
never visible in the evening more than three hours 
after sunset, or more than forty-eight degrees from 
the Sun. 

Venus is so easily recognized because of its superior 
brilliance, and its position as regards the Sun, that it 
cannot possibly confuse you in studying the star- 
pictures, and you will identify it at once as a planet 
and not a star. 

The sight of Venus in a telescope is very beautiful, 
for when it is brightest we see it as a beautiful silvery 
crescent like the young Moon in miniature. The 
phases of Venus were seen for the first time by 
Galileo in September, 1610, who beheld the spectacle 
with a joy impossible to describe. According to the 
customs of the time he announced his discovery in an 
anagram in Latin, hiding the truth very cleverly so as 
not to be robbed of the discovery. When trans¬ 
lated it read: “The mother of Loves puts on the 
phases of the Moon.” 

The earliest recorded observation of Venus dates 
from 686 B.C. and appears on an earthenware tablet 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


365 


now on exhibition in the British Museum. Because 
of its beauty and brilliance Venus was doubtless the 
first of all the planets to attract the admiring gaze of 
primitive man. Seen in the twilight and the dawn 
the planet would appear to rule these seasons and it 
is not to be wondered at that the planet held a high 
place in the reverence and worship accorded the 
heavenly bodies. 

It may be of interest to note a few facts relating to 
the ancient history and worship of Venus. 

The Greeks, seeing the planet in the western sky 
in the twilight, and the eastern sky at dawn, thought 
there were two planets and named the evening star 
“Hesperus” and “Vesper,” and the morning star 
“Phosphor” or “Lucifer,” the Light Bearer. They 
also knew the planet as “Callisto,” the most beauti¬ 
ful, a very appropriate title. 

In the Iliad the only planet mentioned is Venus, 
which is called “Hesperus,” the fairest star in the 
heavens. 

As radiant Hesper shines with keener light, 

Far beaming o’er the silver host of light. 

In very ancient times Venus was considered under 
the rule of the Assyrian goddess Ishtar, and on a 
Babylonian inscription she is addressed as Ishtar, 
eldest of Heaven and Earth, raising the race of 
warriors. 

In many ancient cities, notably Nineveh, temples 
were erected to the worship of Ishtar, over a thou- 


3^6 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


sand years before the birth of Christ. The Hindus 
called Venus “Sukra,” the brilliant, and the ancient 
Mexicans had temples to Venus, their name for the 
planet being “Citlal Choloha.” 

Among the natives of South America, Venus was 
known as “the star who announces the day.” The 
ancient Arabians worshipped Venus under the name 
of “Zoharah.” 

The first to discover the identity of the planet was 
Pythagoras, about 540 b.c., or, according to some 
authorities, Parmenides, about 513 B.c. and doubt¬ 
less Venus was the first planet to be distinguished as 
a body distinct from the stars. 

Although in this later and more material age, 
when Venus no longer figures in idolatry and has lost 
the divine personality that pagan worship endowed 
her with, she still possesses a subtle charm for us, 
and the sight of her sparkling beams in the twilight 
sky delights and captivates all lovers of the beautiful. 

The almanac symbol for Venus is 9 representing 
a looking-glass which the goddess of beauty is sup¬ 
posed to hold in her hand, doubly appropriate, for 
the planet itself is but a looking-glass reflecting the 
dazzling rays of the orb of Day. 


EARTH 


Although this book is designed as a guide to the 
star-pictures, it is necessary for us to know the bright 
planets which wander through the sky in the path of 
the Zodiac, so as to distinguish them from the stars. 
Just a word in passing regarding our Earth, which is 
one of the planets circling about the Sun between 
the orbits or paths of the planets Venus and Mars. 

The diagram will show you how the planets and 
their paths would appear if you were up very high 
in the sky, and could look down on the Sun and his 
family of eight planets. 

Many people who know when America was dis¬ 
covered and many facts of history do not know the 
size of the Earth, its distance from the Sun, and how 
to account for the change of seasons, which are very 
important facts for every intelligent person to 
know. 

The Earth is 7918 miles in diameter, and slightly 
larger than the planet Venus. It is 93 million miles 
from the Sun, around which it revolves once in a 
little over 365 days, at the rate of eighteen and one 
half miles a second, which is our year. The Earth 
turns about its axis in a little less than 24 hours, 
which gives us our day, and the fact that the Earth’s 
367 


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CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


axis is inclined to the plane of its path about the Sun 
accounts for the seasons. 

There is another point in connection with the 
Earth that few people think of, and that is that the 
Earth reflects the light of the Sun just as the Moon 
and all the planets do, and from the neighboring 
planets the Earth would appear as a shining star. 

Seen from Venus the Earth would appear as a star 
brighter than any we see. Seen from Mars it would 
still appear as a bright star, but seen from Jupiter 
the Earth would look like a very faint and insignifi¬ 
cant star, and if there are inhabitants on Uranus and 
Neptune they would not see us at all. 


THE MOON 


Just a word about the Moon which is a prominent 
and beautiful feature of our night skies. The Moon 
is 2162 miles in diameter, and it is the nearest 
heavenly body to us, circling about the Earth at a 
distance of 239,000 miles. It revolves around the 
Earth once in a little over twenty-seven days, moving 
eastward in the sky about thirteen degrees every 
day, and always keeps one side toward us. 

We know a great deal about the Moon and are 
quite sure that it is nearly, if not absolutely, a dead 
world. It is devoid of water and of course unin¬ 
habited. The lunar surface presents many interest¬ 
ing features, there are many lofty mountain ranges 
and many of the peaks surpass in height the moun¬ 
tains of the Earth. It also contains a great many 
ringed-plains, or craters, of a type quite different 
from the Earth’s craters. This gives the Moon a 
strange mottled and pitted appearance. We do not 
know what caused these peculiar formations. They 
resemble great amphitheatres, such as the Coliseum 
at Rome and the Yale Bowl, on a huge scale, only 
instead of tiers of encircling seats you must imagine 
an absolutely circular range of high mountains en¬ 
circling a level plain. There are thousands of these 
369 


24 


370 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


craters on the Moon and they vary in size from three 
to 150 miles in diameter. Even a small telescope 
reveals the craters and many other interesting 
features of the lunar surface. 

The dark spots on the Moon that form the imagina¬ 
tive and well known features of the Man-in-the- 
Moon, are called seas, but they contain no water and 
may be the dried-up beds of ancient oceans. 

An opera glass will reveal much that is interesting 
on the Moon, and in a large telescope the sight of 
the Moon is wonderful beyond expression. 

Few people can explain the causes of the Moon’s 
phases, the gradual change in the appearance of the 
Moon from the crescent to the full Moon, and the 
reverse. 

The best way to understand this phenomenon is to 
illustrate it for yourself. In Professor Todd’s New 
Astronomy the following excellent illustration is given 
substantially as follows: 

Accurately remove the peel from half an orange. 
Let a lamp in one corner of a room otherwise dark 
represent the Sun. Stand at a convenient distance 
from the lamp. Your head represents the Earth. 
Pierce the orange with a darning needle to hold it by, 
and held at arms length the orange represents the 
Moon. Turn the white half of the orange toward 
the lamp. The orange is now in the position of the 
new Moon, its dark side is toward us and the Moon 
being directly between us and the Sun is invisible. 
Turn slowly to the left, and at the same time turn 
the orange in such a way that the peeled side of the 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


37i 


orange always faces the lamp squarely. Watch the 
white half of the orange as you turn, and its changing 
shape represents all the Moon’s successive phases 
or changes in appearance. New Moon, when the 
orange is between the eye and the lamp. First 
quarter (half Moon), when the orange is at the left of 
the lamp and you have turned one quarter of the way 
around. Full Moon, when the orange is directly 
opposite the lamp and you have turned half way 
around, and so on till you resume the first position. 
This clearly illustrates the Moon’s phases and the 
diagram will also serve as an additional explanation. 

Astronomers have proved that the Moon does not 
appreciably effect our weather, although it is very 
difficult to convince people of this fact. The Moon 
is, however, largely responsible for the creation of the 
tides in the waters of the Earth, the Sun being the 
onfy other body that exerts such an influence. 




NEW MOON 


F/RST 

QUARTER 


EARTH 


FULL MOON 




Diagram showing the position of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, at the time of 
New Moon. The Moon is invisible as its dark side is towards the earth. 
Turn the book from right to left to obtain the correct view of the successive 
monthly changes in the appearance of the Moon as seen from the Earth. 


372 




MARS 


We come now to the most interesting of all the 
planets, the ruddy Mars, one of the three planets 
that may confuse you in your study of the star- 
pictures of the Zodiac. 

It is really easy to identify the planet Mars even 
if we did not have an almanac to guide us, for its 
ruddy hue renders it unmistakable. However, you 
recall in your study of the star-pictures that the 
bright stars Ant ares in the Scorpion, and Aldebaran 
in the Bull, are both decidedly red in color, and as 
Mars, in its journey around the Sun along the path 
of the Zodiac, sometimes passes close to these stars, 
it tends to confuse us a bit as to its identity. A 
glance, however, should enable you to distinguish 
which is the star and which the planet, for the latter 
glows with a steady light while the former twinkles. 
The diagram of the star-picture will show you the 
exact position of Ant ares and Aldebaran, and if you 
see a starlike body of a red color not on the diagram 
you may be sure that it is the planet Mars. 

Mars is only 4230 miles in diameter, and conse¬ 
quently only a little more than half as large as the 
Earth. Its average distance from the Sun is 141,- 
500,000 miles, and it revolves once about the Sun in 
373 


374 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


687 days, which is the year of Mars. The planet 
rotates on its axis once in a little over twenty-four 
hours, so the day of Mars is about the length of our 
own day. 

Although smaller than the Earth, Mars has two 
Moons; they can only be seen in a large telescope 
and were discovered by Dr. Asaph Hall, an American 
astronomer. Their names are Deimos and Phobos, 
and they are very small, not being over thirty miles 
in diameter, whereas our Moon is 2000 miles in 
diameter. Mars has polar caps that resemble the 
polar caps of snow in the Arctic and Antarctic circles 
of the Earth. 

Some authorities claim that Mars is inhabited, and 
many faint lines and markings have been observed 
on the planet which have been called “Canals” that 
appear to be artificial, but the whole matter of the 
habitability of Mars is still unsolved. Whenever 
we look at the red planet we must regard it as the 
possible abode of life, and the thought is certainly a 
fascinating one. 

There are recorded observations of Mars made as 
early as 272 b.c. 

The symbol of the planet is cT representing a shield 
and spear, the warlike implements of the god of War. 


THE ASTEROIDS 


Between the planets Mars and Jupiter there is 
quite a gap in space where there are no planets. In 
place of a planet we find a great many little planets, 
none of which are probably larger than five hundred 
miles in diameter, which are called Asteroids or 
Planetoids, and about one thousand of them have 
been discovered. 

Only one of the Asteroids can be seen with the 
naked eye; it is called Vesta, and resembles a very 
faint star; consequently it will never confuse you in 
your study of the star-pictures. 

One of the Asteroids, named Eros, sometimes 
comes comparatively close to the Earth at a distance 
of 13,500,000 miles, approaching nearer to us than 
any other body in the sky excepting the Moon. 

It is thought that ages ago there may have 
been a planet between Mars and Jupiter, which for 
some reason was broken to bits. Its fragments now 
revolve about the Sun, a swarm of little planets. 


375 


JUPITER 


Beyond the Asteroids swings in space the “Giant 
Planet,’’ the colossal Jupiter, at a distance of 448 
million miles from the Sun. It would take a cannon 
ball fifty years to travel this great distance. 

Jupiter is 86,500 miles in diameter, over ten times 
the Earth’s diameter, and is greater than all the 
planets combined. The planet revolves around the 
Sun once in eleven years, ten months, and seventeen 
days, and rotates on its axis once in about ten hours, 
the short day of Jupiter. This rapid motion makes 
the planet an interesting one to observe in a tele¬ 
scope, but unfortunately there is little to be seen 
except the belts that encircle it. These may be 
clouds, but some astronomers think that Jupiter 
is still in a plastic, or liquid, state, and that we act¬ 
ually see its surface. It requires a telescope to see 
the belts of Jupiter, and they have been studied at¬ 
tentively for many years. 

We can hardly mistake Jupiter, for although it is 
not as bright as Venus, still it is brighter than our 
brightest star, Sirius. Its light is yellowish, while 
that of Venus is white. 

Jupiter has nine Moons, four of which can be 
easily seen in a small telescope and present a beauti- 

376 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


377 


ful sight as they circle the planet. Life on Jupiter 
is out of the question as it is assumed to be still very 
hot. The most ancient observation of Jupiter on 
record is the note of an eclipse of the star Delta 
Cancri by the planet, September, 3,240 B.c. 

Jupiter weighs more than three hundred times as 
much as the Earth, and the Sun itself weighs only 
six times more than this big brother of ours. 

The four bright moons of Jupiter bear the attrac¬ 
tive names: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto; 
they were discovered by Galileo in 1610, and were 
the first heavenly bodies discovered by means of a 
telescope. 

At the time of this discovery, people thought that 
the Earth was the centre of everything, and that the 
Sun travelled around it. Galileo thought otherwise; 
he was sure that the Sun was the centre of the solar 
system, and that the Earth and planets all circled 
about it, which is true, but he could not convince 
people of the fact any more than Columbus could 
convince his countrymen that the Earth was round. 

When Galileo saw the moons of Jupiter circling 
about that planet he called his friends to see the great 
sight, but they would not believe the evidence of their 
own eyes, and thought that Galileo was a magician 
and threw him into prison. Later he was allowed his 
freedom and began observing with his telescope, and 
finally was able to convince people that Jupiter’s 
moons really circled about the planet; but they 
still thought that Galileo had bewitched the tele¬ 
scope or their eyes, and they sought every way to 


378 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


discredit his theory which was so beautifully illus¬ 
trated for them in this sight of Jupiter’s moons. 

It is very interesting to view these tiny moons of 
Jupiter when we recall the struggles of Galileo to 
convince people of one of the greatest facts of the 
Universe. 

Jupiter travels slowly and majestically, as becomes 
the King of the Planets, through about one sign of 
the Zodiac each year, and on this account is not diffi¬ 
cult to locate in the sky if we have once observed 
the planet. 

The symbol of Jupiter, 21, is a curious one, and rep¬ 
resents the Eagle, the bird of Jove. 


SATURN 


Saturn is probably the most beautiful sight in the 
heavens viewed in a telescope, and it is farther re¬ 
moved from the Earth than any of the planets in the 
Sun’s family visible to the naked eye. 

The planet ranks next to Jupiter in size, being 
73,000 miles in diameter. It is distant 886 million 
miles from the Sun, around which it makes one com¬ 
plete revolution once in twenty-nine and one half 
years, so if you lived on Saturn you would not have 
many birthdays. It revolves on its axis in a little 
over ten hours, and has a short day of about the same 
length as Jupiter’s. 

Saturn is about the only planet that is apt to cause 
confusion in locating the star-pictures of the Zodiac 
as it closely resembles a bright star. The planet is 
always as bright as Altair but never as brilliant as 
Sirius, Mars, or Jupiter. It glows with a dull steady 
yellowish light sometimes tinged with green, and 
never twinkles. If you are in any doubt concerning 
its identity consult an almanac, and this will inform 
you in which sign of the Zodiac the planet is located. 

Saturn takes two and one-half years to pass 
through one of the Zodiacal star-pictures, so you see 
it apparently moves very slowly in the heavens. 

379 


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CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


The planet is rich in moons, having no less than 
ten, but they are all telescopic objects. Saturn 
differs from all the planets of the Sun’s family in this 
respect, it is circled by a ring. In the telescope, the 
planet resembles a marble striped with bands, en¬ 
closed in a golden ring, truly a remarkable and beauti¬ 
ful sight. The ring is really composed of several 
concentric rings, and is made up of many small 
bodies in rapid motion, giving the appearance of a 
solid ring. 

The discovery of the rings of Saturn is an interest¬ 
ing story, but we have not space for it here, as we are 
chiefly concerned with the means of distinguishing 
the planets from the stars to avoid confusion in the 
study of the star-pictures. 

If you are able, you must secure a telescope and 
view for yourself the wonderful sights in the heavens, 
and particularly the marvelous rings of Saturn. If you 
know of anyone who has a glass ask to be allowed to 
observe with it, and I am sure your request will be 
granted. The sights the telescope reveals will fill 
you with wonder and amazement. 

As Saturn was the ancient god of Agriculture, the 
symbol of the planet is 1?, the figure of a scythe. 


URANUS 

It is merely necessary to mention Uranus, the 
next planet in order outward from the Sun, which 
was for a long time thought to be the outermost 
planet, as it is barely visible to the naked eye, and 
consequently will never confuse you when you are 
studying the star-pictures. 

Uranus is 1,800,000,000 miles from the Sun around 
which it revolves once in 84 years, so few of the 
Uranians, if the planet is inhabited, have more than 
one birthday. 

Uranus has four tiny moons, but it is so far distant 
that we have not been able to discover the length of 
the planet’s day, that is, the time it takes to make 
one complete revolution on its axis. 

The almanac symbol of the planet is this figure, 6. 


381 


NEPTUNE 


The planet Neptune is never seen with the naked 
eye. It is at present the outermost planet known 
and is distant from the Sun 2,800,000,000 miles. 
The planet makes one complete revolution about the 
Sun in 164 years. Its length of day is not known, 
and it has but one moon. 

The story of the discovery of Neptune is so re¬ 
markable that it is always worth while repeating, 
and should be familiar to everyone. It ranks as one 
of the greatest intellectual achievements of man. 

The discovery of the planet was due to the efforts 
of two great mathematicians, John C. Adams, a 
young Englishman, and Urbain Leverrier, a French¬ 
man, who independently and simultaneously began 
the great task of plotting its suspected position in 
the sky. All that they had to guide them was the fact 
that the planet Uranus, then the outermost planet, 
did not move in accordance with theoretical predic¬ 
tions, which led astronomers to think that there was a 
distant planet that affected its movements. 

After two years of work on the problem, Adams 
solved it and sent the results of his calculations to 
the Astronomer Royal of England, but for some 
reason or other no search Was made for the new 
382 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


383 


planet. Soon after, Leverrier completed his work 
and sent the result to Galle, the Director of the 
Observatory at Berlin, and a search was immediately 
made. Within half an hour the new planet was dis¬ 
covered close to its calculated position. This was 
on the night of September 23d, 1846, a date you 
should always remember. Adams, of course, claimed 
a share in the discovery, as he had been deprived of 
the glory through no fault of his own, and his name 
is now linked with Leverrier’s in the World’s Hall 
of Fame. 

In conclusion, let us briefly review the points that 
will enable you to identify the planets, and prevent 
your mistaking them for the stars in your study of 
the star-pictures of the Zodiac. 

We have only Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn 
to consider. 

Venus because of its great brilliance, and its com¬ 
paratively close distance from the Sun, is unmis¬ 
takable. Its light is white, and it is generally seen 
in the western sky soon after sunset. 

Mars is red in color, and glows with a steady light. 
It could only be confused with the red stars Antares 
in the Scorpion, and Aldebaran in the Bull, and a 
study of the diagram of the star-pictures will reveal 
the presence of Mars if it is in one of these pictures. 

Jupiter is yellow in color, and brighter than the 
brightest star Sirius, but not as bright as Venus. 

Saturn glows with a steady dull yellowish light, 
about as bright as Altair. It cannot be mistaken for 
Antares and Aldebaran which are red stars. There 


384 


CHILDREN’S STAR BOOK 


are only four other bright stars in the star-pictures of 
the Zodiac: Castor and Pollux in the Twins, Spica in 
the Virgin, and Regulus in Leo; these stars are all 
white in color and twinkle. 

Study the diagrams of the star-pictures carefully 
and in case of doubt consult an almanac as to the 
location of the planets. 


Neptune 



THE PLANETARY ORBITS 


25 


385 




Jupiter 









Saturn. 







O 

o 


Earth 

Venus 


O 


Mars 


O Mercury 

COMPARATIVE SIZE OF THE PLANETS. 

386 




APPENDIX 















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































THE RHYME OF THE STAR-PICTURES OF THE 
ZODIAC 

The Ram, the Bull, the heavenly Twins, 

And next the Crab, the Lion shines, 

The Virgin, and the Scales. 

The Scorpion, Archer, and the Goat, 

The Man who pours the Water out, 

And Fish with glittering tails. 

THE MOST FAVORABLE TIME TO OBSERVE 
THE CIRCUMPOLAR STAR-PICTURES IN 
THE NORTHERN SKY IN THE EARLY 
EVENING 

Ursa Minor. Well placed'throughout the year. 

Ursa Major. March ist to August ist. 

Cassiopeia. February ist to October ist. 

Cepheus. January ist to August ist. 

Draco. November ist to June ist. 

PERPETUAL STAR TIME-PIECE, COMPASS, 
AND CALENDAR 

If you know the star-pictures, and memorize the fol¬ 
lowing rhyme, you will ever have at hand for reference 
on clear nights, a reliable time-piece, compass, and 
calendar. 

The numbers above the star names indicate consecu¬ 
tively the months of the year in which these respective 
objects rise about the first of each month in the eastern 
389 


390 


APPENDIX 


sky. In addition to first magnitude stars the rhyme 
refers to the head of Capricornus, the Sea-Goat, the 
Great Square of Pegasus, and Orion’s Belt. All except 
Arcturus rise between 9 and 9:30 p.m. Arcturus rises 
at 10 p.m. February 1st. 

1 

First Regulus gleams on the view, 

2 3 4 

Arcturus, Spica, Vega, blue, 

5 6 

Antares, and Altair, 

789 
The Goat’s head, Square, and Fomalhaut, 

10 11 

Aldebaran, the Belt, a-glow, 

12 

Then Sirius most fair. 

Eight months of the year are identified by the position 
of the Big Dipper at 9 p.m. In April and May it is north 
of the zenith. During July and August it is west of north. 
In October and November it lies close to the northern hori¬ 
zon and in January and February it is east of north with 
the “Pointer Stars” highest. 

NOTE 

Many readers of this book may be fortunate possessors 
of small telescopes. It may be that they have observed 
the heavens from time to time in a desultory way and 
have no notion that valuable and practical scientific 
research work can be accomplished with a small glass. If 
those who are willing to aid in the great work of astro- 
physical research will communicate with the author, 


APPENDIX 


39i 


whose address is Norwich, Conn., he will be pleased to 
outline for them a most practical and fascinating line of 
observational work that will enable them to share in the 
advance of our knowledge of the stars. It is work that 
involves no mathematics, and its details are easily- 
mastered. 

TABLE SHOWING THE STARS OF THE FIRST AND 
SECOND MAGNITUDE RISING IN THE EASTERN 
SKY AT NINE O’CLOCK P.M. ON THE DATES 
SPECIFIED. 


DATE 

NAME OF STAR 

STAR-PICTURES 

January 

I 

Regulus, ISt. 

Leo. 

8 

Alphard, 2d. 

Hydra. 

44 

11 

Cor Caroli. 

Canes Venatici. 

February 

20 

Arcturus, 1st. 

Bootes. 

March 

1 

Spica, 1st. 

Virgo. 

44 

5 

Gemma, 2d. 

Corona Borealis. 

April 

1 

Vega, 1st. 

Lyra. 

44 

20 

Ras Alhague, 2d. 

Ophiuchus. 

44 

22 

Deneb, 2d. 

Cygnus. 

May 

44 

9 

An tares, 1st. 

Scorpius 

26 

Altair, 1st. 

Aquila. 

June 

5 


Delphinus. 

July 

17 

Algenib, 2d. 

Perseus. 

August 

6 

Algol 

Perseus. 

44 

21 

Capella, 1st. 

Auriga. 

44 

44 

Hamel, 2d. 

Aries. 


27 

Fomalhaut, ist.* 

Piscis Australis. 

September 

13 


The Pleiades in Taurus. 

October 

2 

Aldebaran, 1st. 

Taurus. 

« 

26 

Bellatrix, 2d. 

Orion. 

“ 

30 

Castor, ist. 

Gemini. 

“ 


Betelgeuse, ist. 

Orion. 

November 

4 

Pollux, 2d. 

Gemini. 

44 

44 

Rigel, ist. 

Orion. 

44 

27 

Procyon, ist. 

Canis Minor. 

December 

4 

Sirius, ist. 

Canis Major. 


8 

Phaet, 2d. 

Columba. 

44 

14 


The Bee Hive in Cancer. 

44 

16 


The head of Hydra. 








392 


APPENDIX 


THE BRIGHTEST STARS VISIBLE IN LATITUDE 40°N. J 


MAGNITUDE 


STAR 

The Sun 

Sirius 

Vega 

Capella 

Arcturus 

Rigel 

Procyon 

Altair 

Aldebaran 

Pollux 

Spica 

Antares 

Fomalhaut 

Deneb 

Regulus 

Castor 

e Canis Majoris 
e Ursae Majoris 
Bellatrix 
X Scorpii 
e Orionis 
|3 Tauri 
a Persei 
f Orionis 
V Ursae Majoris 
7 Geminorum 


—254 


-1.58 

0.14 
0.21 
0.24 
0.34 
0.48 
0.89 
1.06 
1.21 

1.21 

1.22 
1.29 
1-33 
1-34 
1-58 
1.63 
1.68 

1.70 

1.71 
1-75 
1.78 

1.90 

1.91 
1.91 
1-93 


1 With the exception of the estimate of the sun’s magnitude the list 
is taken from the Harvard Observatory Catalogue. 

Other results for the stellar magnitude of the sun are as follows: 
Wollaston: —26.6 
Bond: —25.8 
Zollner: —26.6 

The sun gives us: 10,000,000,000 times the light of Sirius. 


APPENDIX 


393 


LIGHT-GIVING POWER OF THE STARS, SUNLIGHT 
BEING EQUAL TO UNITY 1 


SIRIAN STARS 


SOLAR STARS 

Procyon 25 


Aldebaran 

70 

Altair 25 


Pollux 

170 

Sirius 40 


Polaris 

190 

Regulus no 


Capella 

220 

Vega 2050 


Arcturus 

6200 

The total light of the stars is 

estimated 

as equal to ^ of that of 

the full moon. 




NEAREST LUCID STARS 

IN THE 

NORTHERN 

HEMI- 


SPHERE 

Distance in Light-Years according to 


Star Name 

Magni¬ 

tude 

Todd 

Russell 

Gore 

Yale 

Univ. 

Young 

New¬ 

comb 

Sirius 

-1.6 

8-5 

8.6 

9 


8.6 

8 

r Ceti 

3-6 


9-7 



10.2 

10 

Procyon 

0-5 

12 

10 

10 

9.8 

10.9 

10 

61 Cygni 

5-6 

7.2 



II.I 

8 

7-3 

Altair 

0.8 

16 


14 

I4.I 

13-6 

14 

Vega 

O.I 

27 


40 


21.7 

29 

Aldebaran 

1.0 

32 


32 

28 

29.6 

29 

Capella 

0.2 

32 


40 

34 


36 

Polaris 

2.1 

47 


46 


44 

54 

Arcturus 

0.2 

160 


160 



108 

/3 Cassiopeiae 

2.4 



32 



21 


Of the fainter stars in the northern hemisphere the 7.4 magnitude 
star Lalande 21185 is probably the nearest star to the earth. The 
average distance as estimated by different authorities is 7.5 light- 
years. 

The distance of the first magnitude star a Centauri in the southern 
hemisphere, probably the nearest star to the earth, is given by all 
authorities as 4.3 light-years. This distance is better realized if we 

1 From calculations made by Maunder. 


















394 


APPENDIX 


adopt Prof. Young’s comparison: If the distance from the earth to 
the sun were 215 ft. the distance from the earth to a Centauri would 
be 8000 miles. 

On the scale measured at Yale University the mean distance of stars 
of the first magnitude is 36.5 light-years, second magnitude stars 58 
light-years, and those of the third magnitude 92 light-years. 


STARS APPROACHING THE EARTH 


Star Names 

Speed in Miles per Second 

Potsdam 

Todd 

Greenwich 

Vogel 

Altair 


23-9 

27 

23-7 

Polaris 

16.3 


16 


Algol 

2.3 


2 


Arcturus 



45 

4.6 

Vega 



34 

97 

Deneb 



36 

5-1 

Pollux 



33 


Sirius 




9 7 

Procyon 

7 



5-5 

Castor 




18.4 


STARS RECEDING FROM THE EARTH 


Star Name 

Speed in Miles per Second 

Potsdam 

Todd 

Vogel 

Greenwich 

Aldebaran 

30 

3 ii 

30.1 

3 i 

Rigel 

39 

13-6 

IO.I 

18 

Betelgeuse 


17.6 


28 

a Coronas 


20.3 



Capella 

17 


15-2 

23 

c Orionis 

34 


35 

15 
























2 



STARS IN PRIME OF LIFE 
HOTTEST STARS 


/'IT'N 

/ \ ARCTURU8 

I YELLOW J CANOPUS 
V J POLARIS 



OUR SUN 
PROCYON 
a CENTAURI 


YOUTHFUL STARS 


MIDDLE AGED STARS 


/^ 30 ^\ 

/ \ betelgeuse 

( RED ] ANTARES 

V J ALDEBARAN 

YOUNG GIANT 
STARS 


61 CYGNI 
GROOMBRIDGE 34 
LALANDE 21258 



OLD DWARF 
STARS 


Stellar Age Depicted by the Color of the Stars 

The figures within the circles indicate the ielative size of the 
different types of stars, showing the great difference between the 
giant and dwarf stars. 




396 


APPENDIX 


NUMBER OF THE STARS' 


First Magnitude 


20 


Second 

Third 

Fourth 

Fifth 

Sixth 


200 

500 

1,400 

5,ooo 


Seventh 


20,000 

68,000 

240,000 

720,000 1,055,185 


Eighth 

Ninth 

Tenth 


The lucid, or naked-eye, stars comprise the first six magnitudes. 

A 5" telescope reveals stars down to the 13th magnitude, and Prof. 
Ritchey of the Mt. Wilson Observatory using the new 60" reflector 
has photographed by four-hour exposures stars probably as faint as 
the 20th or 21st magnitude. It has been estimated that the total 
number of stars within our ken photographically speaking is possibly 
125 million. 


THE GREEK ALPHABET 


As professional astronomers use the Greek letter star names, and 
as they appear on all star catalogues and atlases, a knowledge of 
the Greek alphabet is important, and it is given here: 


a Alpha 
£ Beta 


v Nu 

S ® 



Gamma 


0 Omicron 
x Pi 


g Epsilon 


p Rho 


£ Zeta 
Y) Eta 
0 Theta 
l Iota 


G Sigma 
x Tau 
u Upsilon 


7. Kappa 
X Lamda 
pi Mu 


<p Phi 
X Chi 
<J> Psi 


a Omega 


From Todd's Astronomy. 





INDEX OF CONSTELLATIONS 


Name Page 

Andromeda. 70 

Antinoiis. 302 

Aquarius. 124. 

Aquila. 302 

Aries. 80 

Auriga. 54 

Bootes. 214 

Bull of Poniatowskia. 320 

Camelopardalis. 18 

Cancer. 266 

Canes Venatici. 222 

Canis Major. 182 

Canis Minor. 188 

Capricomus. 136 

Cassiopeia. 28 

Cepheus. 36 

Cerberus. 236 

Cet^. 194 

Coma Berenices. 226 

Corona Australis. 332 

Corona Borealis. 230 

Corvus. 256 

Crater. 262 

Cygnus. 296 

Delphinus. 3 10 

Draco. 44 

Eridanus. 200 

Gemini. I 7 ° 

Gloria Frederica. 7 ° 

Hercules. 2 3 & 


397 
































398 INDEX OF CONSTELLATIONS 


Name Page 

Hyades. 102 

Hydra. 272 

Leo. 248 

Lepus. 164 

Libra. 338 

Lyra. 286 

Milky Way. 342 

Monoceros. 178 

Ophiuchus. 320 

Orion. 152 

Pegasus. 120 

Perseus. 62 

Pisces. 88 - 

Piscis Australis. 132 

Planets. 354 , 

Pleiades. 108 

Sagitta. 316 

Sagittarius. 332 

Scorpius. 326 

Serpens.~ 3 2 <> 

Sobieski’s Shield. 302 

Taurus. 94 

Triangulum. 80 

Ursa Major. 4 

Ursa Minor. 18 

Virgo. 242 

Zodiac... 35 ° 





























INDEX 


A 

Aberration of light, 49 
Achemar, 201 

Achilles, 300, 335; cup of, 264 
Acrisuis, 67 
Actaeon, 190, 191 
Acubens, 268, 274 
Adams, John C., 382 
^Eneas, 335 

iEsculapius, 317, 322, 335 

M straea, 339 

JEtea, 85 

Africans, 158 

Age of stars, 98 

Ages, Brazen and Iron, 245 

Akkadians, 97 

Albireo, double star, 299; 

color of, 299 
Al-Chiba, 257 
Alcor, 14 
Alcyone, 115, 118 
Aldebaran, 59, 95, 96, 97, 103, 
104, 157, 251, 373 
Alderamin, 38 
Alfirk, 38 
Algeiba, 252 
Algenib, 63, 71, 109 
Algol, 64, 65, 109 
Algonquin Indians, 344 
Algorab, 257 
Alkes, 263 

All-Hallow’s Eve, in 
All Saints’ Day, 111 
Almach, 71, 73, 81 
Almanacs, 352, 360 
Almathea, 60 
Alnilam, 157 
Alnitak, 157, 158 
Alpha and Beta in Big Dipper, 
282 


Alpha Cancri, 268 
Alpha Herculis, 238 
Alpha Librae, double star, 339 
Alpha in the Serpent, 322 
Alphabet, Greek, 218, 282 
Alphard, 273 
Alphecca, 232 
Alpheratz, 71, 72, 95 
A 1 Rischa, 90 

Altair, 303, 305, 307, 317, 334; 

color and distance of, 304 
Amazon River, 104; star, 157 
Ambrosia, 104 
Amphitrite, 311 
Anderson, Dr., 66 
Anderson, Dr. J. A., 156 
Andromeda, 32, 33, 34, 40, 71, 
75 , 76, 77, 81, 95, 137, 198; 
diagram of, 70; Nebula in, 


74 , 75 

Andromeda’s head, 72 
Antares, 97, 251, 333, 373; 
brightness, distance, size of, 
328; Arab name for, 328 
Antinoopolis, 306 
Antinous, 303, 305 
Apollo, 160, 258, 259, 299, 317, 
322, 335; cup of, 264; Greek 
name for Mercury, 361 
Aquarius, 127, 128, 129, 133, 
137, 138; diagram of, 126 
Aquila, 300, 303, 311; diagram 
of, 302; Arrowhead in, 303; 
Eta in, 304; Greek name for, 
306; Nova in, 307; Turkish 
name for, 307 

Arab name for Antares, 328; 

name for Cygnus, 300 
Arabian worship of Venus, 366 
Arabs, 34, 41, 48, 57, 97 , 103, 
269 


399 



400 


INDEX 


Aratos, 33, 34, 58, 103, 115, 116, 
184, 189, 20i f 243, 249, 257, 
263,273, 311, 329 
Arcadia, King of, 10 
Areas, 11, 23 
Archer, the, 333 
Arc light of the sky, 287 
Arcturus, 215, 216, 217, 218, 
223, 227, 231, 234, 244, 250, 
288, 304; brightness of, 217; 
size of, 218; speed of, 217 
Ares, sacred grove of, 85 
Argonauts, 41, 85, 172 
Ariadne, 233 
Ariadne’s Crown, 233 
Arided, 299 

Aries, 81, 89, 90, 95, 109; dia¬ 
gram of, 80; first star in, 
82 

Arietis, 82 
Arion, 311, 312 

Armenia, notion of Milky Way 
in, 346 

Arrow, Cupid’s, 317 
Arrow, the three-jointed, 158 
Arrowhead in Aquila, 303 
Asellus Australis, 268; Borealis, 
268 

Asgard’s Bridge, 347 
Asia, 85 

Assyrian goddess, 365 
Asterion, 223 
Asteroids, 375 
Astrsea, 245 
Atauria, 111 
Athamas, 85 
Athens, King of, 59, 233 
Athyr, in 
Atlas, 104, 114, 219 
Auriga, 55, 59,140, 210; diagram 
of, 54 

Aurora, 186 
Australia, 117, 176 
Australis, Corona, 334 
Axis, Earth’s shifting, 289; of 
heavens, 50 
Aztecs, hi 

B 

Babylon, 99 

Babylonian inscription, 365 


Babylonians, the, 90 
Bacchus, 104, 140, 233, 270; cup 
of, 264 

Basque legend, 13 
Bear Driver, the, 215, 218 
Bear, Little, 19, 21, 47, 148; 
diagram of daily path of, 22; 
Indian story of, 23 
Bearer, Serpent, 321 
Bee Hive, the, 268; number of 
stars in, 268 
Bellatrix, 157, 158 
Bellerophon, 123 
Belt stars in Orion, 153, 157 
Benetnasch, 15, 227 
Berenice, 228 
Berenice’s Hair, 227 
Bessel, 185 

Beta Cygni, 299, 317; Leonis, 
251; Lyrae, 290; Ursae Majoris, 
223 

Betelgeuse, 97, 156, 157, 158, 
171, 179; diameter of, 156 
Bible, no, 158 
Biela’s Comet, 73 
Bielid Meteors, 73 
Big Dipper, 209, 282, 352; Alpha 
and Beta in, 282 
Bird, the, 300 

Bird, of the Desert, 258; Great 
Seed, 258; of Zeus, 306 
Bithynia, Antinous native of, 305 
Blaze star, 232 
Boeotia, 49, 50 

Bohemian name for Lyra, 292 
Bootes, 215, 218, 219, 231, 234, 
250, 321; diagram of, 214 
Borneo, 117 
Boudda, 362 
Bow, in Sagittarius, 333 
Bradley, Dr., 50 
Brahe, Tycho, 30 
Brazen serpent, 322 
Bridge, Asgard’s, 347; Magpie, 
306, 346 

Bringer of Good Tidings, 138 
Britons’ notion of Milky Way, 
346; name for Lyra, 292 
Browning, Mrs., 267 
Bryant, William Cullen, 25,121, 
237 



INDEX 


401 


Bull, the, 59,95,96,99,100,158, 
201, 335; eye of, 97 
Bull Killer, 335; Polish, 322 
Bull of Poniatowskia, 322 
Burritt, 258 

C 

Cadmus, 50 
Callimachus, 58 
Callisto, 10, 11, 23, 365, 377 
Camel, the great, 97 
Camoens, Luiz de, 351 
Cancer, 267, 268, 269, 274; 
diagram of, 266 

Cancri, Alpha, 268; Iota, 269; 
Zeta, 269 

Canes Venatici, 223; diagram of, 
222 

Canis Major, 183, 186; diagram 
of, 182 

Canis Minor, 189; diagram of, 
188 

Canopus, 117 

Capella, 55, 56, 57 , 58, 95 , 133 * 
176, 210, 288 
Caph, 31, 37 , 38 
Capricomus, 137, 139; diagram 
of, 137 

Cassiopeia, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 
37 , 38 , 40, 45 , 63, 66, 71, 75, 
148, 149, 210, 281, 283; dia¬ 
gram of, 28; “M” shape, 29; 
"W" shape, 30, 283 
Castor, 171, 172, 173, 174, 211 
Catalogue, Messier’s, 329 
Caucasus, Mt., 317 
Celaeno, 115 

Celestial sisters, the, 233 
Centaur, Chiron, 322 
Centaurs, the, 335 
Central America, 24 
Cephalos, 186 

Cepheus, 32, 37, 38, 40, 45 , 46, 
75,148,210,281,283; diagram 
of, 36 

Cerberus, 238 

Cetus, 33, 195, 198, 201; dia¬ 
gram of, 194 
Chair, Lady in the, 31 
Chaldeans, the, 139, 269 


Champion, the, 63 
Chara, 223, 224 
Chariot, inventor of, 219 
Charioteer, the, 55, 59, 140, 
210 

Charles’ Heart, 223 
Chickens, Pleiades likened to, 
11 7 

Chimaera, the, 123 
China, in 

Chinese, 41, 104, 158, 167, 246; 
legend of Magpie Bridge, 306; 
name for Corvus, 257; Del- 
phinus, ^ T 3; Alpha Herculis, 
238; Vega, 289; notion of 
Libra, 340; Milky Way, 346 
Chiron, 239, 322, 334, 335 
Christ, Jesus, 99; Cross of, 
313 

Christmas eve, 298 
Circlet, the, 89, 127 
Citlal Choloha, 366 
City of Dragon, 49, 50 
Clark, Alvan G., 186 
Claws, the, 268 

Cluster of stars in Cancer, 268; 
35 M., 172; in Hercules, 238; 
Perseus, 66 
Clymene, 202 

Coal Sacks in Milky Way, 298, 

323 , 334 * 344 
Coffin, Job’s, 311 
Colca, 57 
Colchis, 85, 172 
Columbus, 377 

Coma Berenices, 227; diagram of, 
226 

Comet, Biela’s, 73 
Conon, 228 
Copernicus, 361 
Cor Caroli, 223, 224, 250, 257 
Cord, the, 90 
Cor Hydrae, 273 
Corona Australis, 334 
Corona Borealis, 231; diagram 
of, 230; Indian legend of, 

234 

Coionaeus, 258 
Coronis, 258 

Corvus, 257; Delta in, 257; 
diagram of, 256 



402 


INDEX 


Council of Chiefs, 234 

Crab, the, 267, 268 

Crater, the Cup, 257, 263, 264; 

diagram of, 262 
Craters of the Moon, 369 
Crescent Mercury, 361 
Crete, 233; King of, 60 
Cross of Jesus Christ, 313 
Cross, the Northern, 297; 
Southern, 297 

Crow, the, 166, 167, 257, 258, 
259 

Crown, the, 231, 232, 234, 238, 
322; Ariadne’s, 253: Northern, 
231, 321; Southern, 334 
Cyclops, the, 160 
Cygnus, 297,299; Arab name for, 
300; Beta, 299; diagram of, 
296; legends of, 299; sixty-one, 
299 

Cup, the, 257, 263; and Snake, 
259; of Apollo, 264 
Cupid, 90, 91 
Cupid’s Arrow, 317 

D 

Dabih, 138 

Damsel, the Spinning, 306 
Danae, 67 
Dante, 137 
Dardanelles, 85 
Dardanus, 116 
Daze, legend of, 174 
Deer, the Red, 97 
Delphinus, the Dolphin, 122, 
311; diagram of, 310 
Delta, 81 

Delta Cephei, 39; Corvi, 257; 

Herculis, 297 
Demeter, temple of, 134 
Denderah, Hei Majesty of, 184; 

temple of Hathor at, 49 
Deneb, 297, 298, 299, 303, 334; 
Arab name for, 298; color and 
distance of, 299 

Deneb Algedi, 139; Kaitos, 196 
Denebola, 250, 251, 257, 267, 
274; distance of, 251 
Diamond, the big, 121; of Virgo, 
250 


Diana, 159, 160, 161, 190 
Dipper, the Big, 5, 7, 14, 15, 16, 
215, 282, 352; Little, no, 
148, 283; Milk, 333 
Discovery of Neptune, 382 
Dish, the, 232 

Dog, days, 185; the Great, 158, 
184; star, 211 
Dolphin, the, 90, 122, 311 
Double-Eye, 66 

Double Stars, Alpha Librae, 339; 

Beta Cygni, 299 
Doves, Pleiades likened to, 

115 

Draco, 45, 47, 50, 148, 149, 210, 
281, 283; diagram of, 44 
Dragon, the, 45, 47, 50, 51, 
210, 237, 283; city of the, 
49 

Dragon’s head, 48, 55 
Driver, the, 57 
Dryden, 24 
Dubhe, 15, 37, 81 
Dyaks, 118 


E 

Eagle, Aquila the, 300, 303, 306, 
311; hying, 300; hunting, 
307; swooping, 300 
Ear of Wheat, 244 
Earth, 367; reflects sun’s light, 
368; seasons of, 368 
Easter celebration, 99 
Egypt, 49, 58, 91; Euergetes, 
King of, 228 

Egyptians, 34, 48, 49, 91, 99, 
in, 128, 184, 254; conception 
of Hyades, 275; mythology, 
245; notion of Milky Way, 
346; notion concerning Mer¬ 
cury, 362; rising of Crater, 
264; temple to Spica, 244; 
Vega, 289 

Eleusis in Greece, 134 
Electra, 115, 116 
Elbow, the, 64 
Ell, the, 158 
Eltanin, 48, 49 
Emperor’s Throne, the, 238 



INDEX 


403 


England, 14; Astronomer Royal 
of, 382; name for Crater in, 
264; Royal Arms of, 254 
Enif, 122 

Ephyre, King of, 123 
Epsilon, Lyras, 289; Virginis, 245 
Equator of the heavens, 129 
Equuleus, 122 
Equus, 122 
Erichthonius, 59, 219 
Eridanus, 201, 203, 299, 329, 
345; diagram of, 200 
Erigone, 190 
Eros, 375 
Er Rai, 37, 39, 47 
Eskimos, 34, 115, 158, 216 . 
Eta Aquilae, variable star, 304; 

Ursae Majoris, 227 
Ethiopia, 76; King of, 32 
Ethiopians, 203 
Eudora, 104 
Eudosia, 321 
Euergetes, 228 
Euphrates River, 91, 202 
Europa, 377; story of, 99, 100 
Europe, 85 
Eurydice, 291, 292 
Eurytheus, 239 

Evil one in the Garden of Eden, 

5i 

F 

Fabricius, Dr., 196 
Fairies’ Path, 347 
Falling Vulture, the, 289 
Favorable Judge, 48 
Female Warrior, 157 
Festival, May Day, 99; of 
Tanabata, 307 
Fiddle in the Sky, 292 
Field of the Nebulae, 246 
First star in Aries, 82 
Fishes, the, 89, 90, 91, 127 
Fish-hook of Maui, 328 
Flaxen thread, 90 
Flying Eagle, the, 300 
Fomalhaut, 251 
Fortunate one, 138 
Frederick’s Glory, 74 
Freud’slegend of Milky Way,346 
Furrow of Heaven, 97 


G 

Galilee, Lake of, 14 
Galileo, 364; observations of 
Jupiter’s moons, 377, 378 
Galle, 383 

Gamma, Leonis, 251, 267; Le- 
poris, 166; Virginis, 244 
Ganymede, 129, 306, 377 
Garden of Eden, 51 
Garnet star, 38 
Gate of the gods, the, 139 
Gemini, 171, 179, 211; diagram 
of, 170 

Gemma, 232, 238 

Ghizeh, in Egypt, temple of, 

Giansar, 45, 47 

Giant Hunter, the, 97, 153, 154, 
155. 156, 159, 160, 165, 167, 
179 , 190, 329 

Giant’s Belt, the, 154; eyes, 172, 
174; head, 158 
Gienah, 257 
Glass Sky, 12 
Glaucus, 123 
Gloria Frederika, 74 
Goat’s Head, 138 
Goatherd, 58 
Goat star, the, 57, 210 
Goddess of Justice, 245, 339 
Gods, Swift Messengei of, 359 
Golden, apples, 50; fleece, 41, 
8 5 f 

Goodricke, 65 
Gorgons, the, 67, 68 
Grape Gatherer, 245 
Great Bear, 5,8,9,10,11,12,13, 
14, 15, 16, 20, 23, 29, 37, 47, 
55, 116, 147, 149, 216, 224, 
243,249,282 
Great Bear’s tail, 227 
Great, cluster in Perseus, 66; 
Dog, 165, 183; Pyramid of 
Cheops, 48; Square of Pega¬ 
sus, 72; Storm Bird, 258 
Greece, 40, 49; temples of, 82, 
173 

Greek, alphabet, 218, 282; 

church, sects of, 313; fables, 
253, 258; idea of planet 



404 


INDEX 


Greek —Continued 
Venus, 365; legends, 59, 90, 
99, 129, 322, 334, 340; letter 
star names, 10, 268; name for 
Aquila, 306; Cygnus, 300; 
Mercury, 361; notion of Milky 
Way, 345; word for Planets, 
355 

Greenland, meteor from, 252 
Greenlanders, the, 158 
Guardian of the Pleiades, 57; 
Pole, 19, 20,149, 288; Sky, 97; 
Stars of Heaven, 251 
Gulf of Mexico, 201 
Gulf Stream, 201 

H 

Hadrian, Emperor, 306 
Hall, Dr. Asaph, 374 
Hamal, 81, 82, 95 
Hand, the, 165, 166 
Hare, the, 31 
Hare in the Moon, 167 
Harp, the, 291; King Arthur’s, 
292; star, 289 
Hathor, 111; temple of, 49 
Head of Woman in Chains, 72 
Hearn, Lafcadio, 307 
Heart of Brahma, 58 
Heaven, Guardian stars of, 251 
Hebe, 240 

Hebrews, name for Corvus, 257; 

notion concerning Libra, 340 
Hebrus, River, 292 
Helicon, Mt., 122 
Helle, 85 

Hellespont, 85, 173 
Hercules, 237, 238, 239, 253, 
274. 292, 317, 321, 335, 346; 
Alpha in, 238; Delta in, 97; 
cup of, 264; diagram of, 237; 
great cluster in, 238; keystone 
in, 238; and Lemaean monster, 
269, 270; worship of, 238 
Herdsman, the, 215, 218, 237, 
307 

Herschel, Sir John, 172; William, 
347 

Hesperides, 50 
Hesperus, 365 


Hiawatha, 344 

High One of Enclosure of Life, 
48 

High Homed One, 48 
Hind’s crimson star, 166 
Hindus, 104, in, 158; name for 
Venus, 366 

Hippocrene, Spring of, 123 
Hobby horse of Sagittarius, 
334 

Homer, 159 
Hooke, Dr., 49, 82 
Horn of Plenty, 57, 140 
Horn Star, 82 

Horse, the, 121; and Rider, 14; 

winged, 72, 96 
Horse’s shoulders, 122 
Horus, 362 
Hottentots, the, 112 
Hunter, the, 160 
Hunting Dogs, the, 223; Eagle, 
307 

Hyades, 96, 100, 103, 104, 105, 
no, 114 
Hyas, 104 

Hydra, 263, 268, 273, 274, 275; 
diagram of, 272; heart of, 273; 
Pi in, 274 

Hymn to North Star, 25 

I 

Icarius, cup of, 264 
Ida, Mt., 129 
Idas, 173 

Identifying planet Saturn, 379 
Iliad, 365 
India, 57, 340 

Indians, 234; Algonquin, 344; 
Amazon River, 157; American, 
112; Iroquois legends, 12, 116; 
Pawnee, notion of Milky 
Way, 346; Shasta legend, 114; 
Shawnee, 233; stories about 
Pleiades, n; story of Little 
Beat, 23 

Inner throne of five Emperors, 
4i 

Interferometer, 156 
Io, 377 
Iolaus, 274 



INDEX 


405 


Iota, Cancri, 269; Cephei, 40 
Iroquois Indian legends, 12, 
116 

Ishtar, 365 
Isis, 49, 245 

Islanders, Polynesian, 328 


J 

Japanese, 111; festival of Tana- 
bata, 307; name for Vega, 
289; notion of Milky Way, 
346 

Jason, 41, 85, 172, 335 
Jaw of an ox, 104 
Job's, Coffin, 122, 311,313; Star, 
216; temple of, 270 
Judea, 346 
Judge of Heaven, 48 
Juno, 239, 269, 270, 329, 346 
Jupiter, god, 11, 140, 172, 174, 
240, 245, 254, 258, 299, 306, 
317.335 

Jupiter, Planet, 376; habitability 
of, 377; identifying, 375; dis¬ 
covery of moons of, 377; 
Galileo’s observations of, 377; 
size of, 376; symbol of, 378; 
weight of, 377 

Justice, Goddess of, 245, 339 
K 


Keeper of Heaven, 216 
Keystone of Hercules, 238 
Kids, the, 58, 60; two, 172 
Killer, the Bull, 335 
King Arthur’s Harp, 292 
King, the, 250, 283 
King of Athens, 59; Crete, 60; 
Ethiopia, 32, 40; Ligurians, 
299; Planets, 378; Seriphus, 
67; Sky, 38; Sparta, 299; 
Suns, 184 
King Star, 250 
Kings, the three, 158 
Kingsley, Charles, 76 
Kneeler, the, 237 
Kneeling One, the, 238 
Korea, 307 
Korean legend, 306 


L 

Lady in the Chair, 31 
Lalande, 64 
Lamp, stone, 34 
Laocoon, 323 

Latin’s name for Gamma Vir- 
ginis, 244 
Leda, 172, 299 
Ledean lights, 173 
Leg, the, 34 

Legend, Basque, 13, 14; Chinese, 
306; concerning Cygnus, 299; 
French, of Milky Way, 346; 
Greek, 334; of Ophiuchus, 
322; regarding Libra, 340; 
Iroquois Indians, n, 116; 
Korean, 306; Shasta Indians, 
114; Zuni Indians, 13 
Leo, 249, 250, 253, 254; diagram 
of, 248; meteor shower in, 
252; Regulus in, 274; Leonid 
meteors, 253 

Leonis, Gamma, 251, 267 
Lepus, 165, 183; diagram of, 
164 

Lema, marshes of, 274 
Lesbos, 311 
Lesuth, 329 
Leucippus, 173 
Leverrier, Urbain, 382 
Libra, 339; Alpha in double star, 
339; diagram of, 338; Greek 
legend of, 340 
Life of Heaven, 48 
Light Bearer, the, 365 
Light, speed of, 185, 288 
Ligurians, King of, 299 
Lion, the, 249, 254; tail of, 251 
Little, Bear, 11,19, 47, no, 148, 
209, 210, 305; Cloud, 74; 
Dipper, 19,209,280; Dog, 189; 
Horse, 122; She Camels, 104 
Long Bandage, a, 346 
Longfellow, H. W., 155, 279, 
344 

Lowell, J. R., 20, 287 
Lucan, 24 
Lucifer, 365 

Lucky One of the Slaughterers, 
138 



406 


INDEX 


Lybia, 68 
Lycia, 123 
Lynceus, 173 

Lyra, 210, 287, 288, 290, 291, 
292; and Aquila linked, 306; 
Beta in, 290; Bohemian name 
for, 292; Britons’ name for, 
292; diagram of, 286; Epsilon 
in, 289; meteors from, 292; 
parallelogram in, 287 
Lyre, the, 238, 287 
Lyrid meteors, 293 

M 


“M” shape of Cassiopeia, 149 
Macrobius, 269 
Magnitude of stars, 305 
Magpie Bridge, 306, 346 
Maia, 115 

Maiden, the Spinning, 289 
Malays, 117 
Manger, the, 268, 269 
Manilius, 85, 103, 133, 153, 155, 
171,215,343 
Marfak, 31, 37, 63 
Marius, Simon, 74 
Markab, 122 

Mars, the Planet, 373; day of, 
373; distance of, 373; habit¬ 
ability of, 374; moons of, 374; 
polar caps of, 374; and red 
stars, 373; rival of, 328; size of, 
373; symbol of, 374; year of, 


Martial, 172 

Martin, Mrs., 304 

Maui, Fish-hook of, 328 

Mauretania, King of, 104 

May Day festival, 99 

May Pole, 99 

Medea, cup of, 264 

Medusa, 67, 68, 122 

Medusa’s Head, 66, 67, 76, 77 

Megrez, 37, 81 

Meissa, 158 

Melkarth, 238 

Menkalinan, 58 

Menkar, 190 

Merak, 15 


Mercury, god, 59, 68, 85; god of 
Day, 361; Thieves, 361 
Mercury, the Planet, 359; cres¬ 
cent, 361; distance from sun, 
359 ; Egyptian idea of, 362; 
Greek name for, 361; Indian 
idea of, 362; size of, 359; the 
sparkling one, 362; symbol of, 
362; when best seen, 360; 
year of, 359 
Meredith, 223 
Merope, 115, 160 
Messier, 172, 329 
Meteor from Greenland, 252 
Meteors, 66, 73, 252; Bielid, 73; 
Lyrids, 292, 293 

Mexican temples to Venus, 
366 

Michelson, Professor A. A., 156 
Mighty, the, 250 
Milk Dipper, 333 
Milky Way, the, 31, 32, 63,189, 
232, 246, 297, 298, 306, 317, 

323 , 334 , 343 , 344 , 345 , 346 , 
347; coal sacks in, 344; course 
of, 343, 344; French legend 
of, 346; Japanese myth of, 
346; ancient Britons’ idea of, 
346; Armenian, 346: Chinese, 
346; Egyptian, 346; Greeks, 
345; Judeans, 346; Pawnee 
Indian, 346; Peruvian, 346; 
number of stars in, 347 
Milton, 33 

Minerva, 50, 59, 68, 91, 122, 123, 
258 

Minotaur, the, 233 
Mintaka, 157 
Mira, 196 
Mirach, 71, 72 
Mirak, 218 
Mizar, 14, 29 
Mochus, 340 

Monoceros, 179,180; diagram of, 
178 

Montanari, 65 

Moon, 227, 369; craters of, 369; 
dark spots on, 370; dimensions 
of, 369; distance from earth, 
369; goddess, 1 61; phases, 370; 
and weather, 371 



INDEX 


407 


Moons of Jupiter, 377; Mars, 
374; Saturn, 380; Uranus, 381 
Moore, 23 
Moses, 322 

Mount, Caucasus, 317; Olympus, 
292 

Mt. Wilson Observatory, 156 
Mouth, the Fish’s, 133 
Museum of Natural History, 
N. Y. C., 252 
Mythology, Egyptian, 245 

N 


Names of Jupiter’s moons, 

377 

Nashira, 138 
Nath, 59, 98 
Navigators, first, 24 
Nebula, 74, 75; Andromeda, 74, 
75; Orion, 159; Ring, 289, 
290 

Nebulae, Field of, 246 
Nemaea, 253 

Neptune, the god, 32, 75, 122, 
258, 300, 311 

Neptune, the Planet, 382; dis¬ 
covery of, 382, 383; distance 
from sun, 382 

Newcomb, Professor Simon, 157 
New York City, 64, 65, 73, 
252 

Nile River, 128, 140, 184, 202, 
254, 264, 275, 306; flood of, 
254; rising of, 254 
Nineveh, temples of, 365 
Noah’s wine cup, 264 
Norsemen, the, 129 
North America, 234 
Northern Crown, the, 231, 297, 
321 

North Pole, 8 

North Star, 15. I 9 > 20, 72, 148, 
209, 282; hymn to, 25 
Norse, the, 122 

Nova, Aquilae, 307; Coronae, 232; 

Persei, 66 
Novae, 30 

Nuts, the golden, 158 
Nymphs, sea, 32 


O 

CEnomaus, 59 

(Eta, Mt., 239 

Olympus, Mt., 292 

Orion, 97, 115, 117, 153, 154, 

155, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 

171, 178, 186, 201, 329, 333; 
Bands of, 158; diagram of, 
152; Dog of, 183; Nebula in, 
159 

Orpheus, 291, 292, 299 
Ophiuchus, 321, 322, 323, 327; 
diagram of, 320; Greek legend 
of, 322 

Ovid, 11, 122, 327 
Ox Driver, 218 

P 

Palace of Heaven, road to, 

345 

Pan, the god, 140 
Parallelogram in Lyra, 287 
Parmenides, 366 
Path, the Fairies’, 347 
Path of the Zodiac, 352 
Pawnee Indians’ idea of the 
Milky Way, 346 
Peacocks, the Two, 172 
Pearls, the string of, 158 
Peary, Commander, 73, 252 
Pease, Mr. Francis G., 156 
Pegasus, 72,89,96,109,121,122, 
123, 137; diagram of, 120; 
Great Square of, 72, 121 
Periander, 312 

Perseus, 33, 34, 63, 67, 68, 71, 
76, 77, 109, 122, 198; cluster 
in, 66; diagram of, 62; seg¬ 
ment of, 63 

Persia, 97, 99; Royal stars of, 
328 

Persians, 90, 133, 251 
Peru, hi 

Peruvians, 57, 112; idea of 

Milky Way, 346 
Phad,55 

Phaethon, 202, 203, 299, 329, 
330 

Phantom, the, 238 



408 


INDEX 


Phaola, 104 

Phases of the Moon, illustration 
of, 370 
Philyra, 334 
Phocis, King of, 258 
Phoebe, 173 
Phoebus, 202 
Phoenicia, 99, 238 
Phoenician, name for Lyra, 292; 

worship of Hercules, 238 
Phosphor, 365 
Phrixus, 85 
Pi in Hydra, 274 
Piazzi, 313 
Pigs, the three, 158 
Pirene, fountain at, 123 
Pisa, King of, 59 
Pisces, 89, 122; diagram of, 84 
Piscis Australis, 128, 133 
Planets, 355; color of, 383; 
Greek word for, 355; habit¬ 
ability of, 356; identifying, 
352, 3571 King of, 378; names 
of* 357; reflect sun’s light, 356; 
and stars, 383; in Zodiac, 352 
Pleiad, the lost, 116, 117 
Pleiades, the, 96, 100, 104, 105, 
109, no, hi, 112, 113, 114, 
115, 116, 117, 118,195; Guar¬ 
dians of, 57; Mystery of, hi 
P leione, 114 
Pliny, 269 
Plough, the, 14, 219 
Pluto, 67, 291, 322 
Pointers, the, 15, 16, 37, 45, 209, 
223, 249, 282, 361; distance 
between, 352 
Polar caps on Mars, 374 
Polaris, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 
25 . 29 * 33 . 37 * 38 , 45 , 47 , 55 , 64 , 
81, 82, 148, 149, 153, 211, 232, 
249, 251, 282, 283, 305; Arab 
name for, 24 

Pole, the, 8, 50, 280; how to 
locate, 15, 16; Guardians of, 
19, 283 

Pole Star, 15, 23, 24, 47; Vega, 
the, 289 
Polish Bull, 322 

Pollux, 171, 172, 173, 174, 189, 
211 


Polydectes, 67, 68 
Polynesian Islanders, 328 
Polyxo, 104 
Pompeii, 49 

Poniatowskia, Bull of, 322 
Po River, 203, 345 
Porrima, 244 
Pot, two-handed, 264 
Praesepe, 268, 269 
Precession, 289 
Prince of Celestial Signs, 84 
Proclaimer of Light, 48 
Procyon, 189, 191 
Prometheus, 317 
Prosperity, Star of, 244 
Pulcherima, 218 
Punishment, Crow’s, 259 
Pythagoras, 366 

R 

Rainy Goat Star, 58 
Ram, the, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 
Ram’s eye, 82 
Ras Algethi, 238, 321 
Ras Alhague, 321, 328 
Rauhineya, 362 
Raven, the, 166, 257 
Red Bird, the, 257 
Regulus, 250, 274 
Reinholder, the, 59 
Resurrection, the, 99 
Rhea, 334 

Rhodius, Apollonius, 231 
Rhyme of the Zodiac, 84 
Rigel, 156, 157, 165, 171, 201; 

distance of, 157; speed of, 157 
Right Arm, 38 
Ring around the Rosy, 20 
Ring Nebula, 289, 290 
Rings of Saturn, 380 
Rival of Mars, 328 
River, the, 201; Euphrates, 91; 

in the sky, 166; Po, 203, 345 
Road to the Palace of Heaven, 
345 

Rohini, 97 

Roman, fleet, 161; title for Libra, 
339 

Romans, the, 173; name for 
Corvus, 257 



INDEX 


409 


Rome, Vatican at, 323 
Royal, Arms of England, 254; 

family of Starland, 40 
Royal Stars, 97, 134, 251; of 
Persia, 328 
Ruchbah, 31 


S 

Sacks, Coal, 298, 323, 334 
Sadal, Melik, 129; Suud, 129 
Saddle, the, 122 
Sagitta, 317 

Sagittarius, 333; diagram of, 
332; Greek legend of, 334; 
Hobby Horse of, 334 
Saiph, 165 
Satan’s Head, 66 
Saturn, the Planet, 379; dis¬ 
tance from sun, 379; length of 
day and year, 379; moons of, 
380; rings of, 380; size of, 379; 
symbol of, 380 
Saviour, the, 14 
Scales, the, 339 
Scarborough, Sir Charles, 223 
Scheat, 122 
Schedar, 122 

Scorpion, the, 159, 327, 329, 330; 

heart of, 328; Novae in, 330 
Scorpius, 97, 327; diagram of, 
326 

Sea, the, 90 

Sea Goat, the, 90, 137, 140 
Seal Hunters, the three, 158 
Sea Nymphs, 30 
Secunda Giedi, 138 
Segment of Perseus, 63 
Seriphus, King of, 67 
Serpentarius, 321 
Serpent, Brazen, 322 
Serpent Charmer, head of the, 
321 

Serviss, Mr. Garrett P., 227, 246, 
249 

Set, 362 

Shakespeare, 25 
Shasta Indian legend, 114 
Shaula, 329 
Shawnee Indians, 233 


Shepherd, the, 39 
Sheratan, 82 

Shower, meteor, in Leo, 253 
Sickle, the, 249, 251, 252, 267 
Side, the, 63 
Sigma Orionis, 158 
Sign, the, 82 
Sigourney, Mrs., 97 
Simal, 82 
Singer, the, 57 

Sirius, 158, 161, 165, 183, 184, 
185,186, 189, 191, 211 
Sisters, the Celestial, 233 
Sixty-one Cygni, distance of, 
299 

Sky, Arc-light of, 287; Fiddle in, 
292 

Snake, Cup and the, 259; Water, 
268 

Solitary one, the, 273 
South, Africa, 111; America, 111; 
map of, 129 

Southern, Cross, the, 297, 334; 
Fish, 128; Gate of the Sun, 
139 

Sparkling One, the, 362 
Sparta, King of, 299 
Spectre’s Head, the, 66 
Spica, 243, 257, 274; distance of, 
244; Queen star of Spring, 
244 

Spinning, Damsel, 306; Maiden, 
289 

Star, Blaze, 232; in Chayre, 30; 
cluster in Cancer, 268; colors, 
98; Goat, 57; Harp, 289; King, 
250; names, Greek letter, 10, 
268; Pilgrim, 30; of Prosperity, 
244; Stranger, 30; Tycho’s, 
30; variable, in Lyra, 290 
Start y Meadow, 246 
“Stars, the Friendly,” 304; 
identifying Planets from, 383; 
magnitude of, 305; in Milky 
Way, 347; Royal, 97, 251, 
328 

St. Elmo’s lamps, 173 
Sterope, 115 
Storm Wind, the, 258 
Stranger Star, 30 
Street, Watling, 347 



4 io 


INDEX 


Struve, 218 

Sukra, Hindu name for Venus, 
366 

Sun god, 160 

Swan, the, 297, 300, 311, 334 
Swooping Eagle, the, 300 
Symbols of Jupiter, 378; Mars, 
374; Mercury, 362; Saturn, 
380; Uranus, 381; Venus, 366; 
Zodiac, 351 
Syrians, the, 90 

T 

Tail, the, name for Deneb, 298; 
Lion’s, 251 

Tanabata, Festival of, 307 
Taras, 312 

Tarentum, City of, 312 
Tartessus, 68 
Tau Ceti, distance of, 197 
Taurus, 59, 95 , 99 , 100, 201, 335; 

diagram of, 94 
Taygeta, 115 
Taylor, Bayard, no 
Tears of St. Laurence, meteors, 
66 

Telaria, 173 
Telescopes, 173 
Temple of Hathor, 49 
Temples, Egyptian, 49, 184, 244; 
Grecian, 82; of Nineveh, 365; 
to Venus, Mexican, 366 
Tennyson, Alfred, 56, 100, no, 
158, 183 

Theban, Hercules the famous, 
239 

Thebes, 49 
Themis, 245 
Theseus, 233 
Thessaly, King of, 85 
Thuban, 47 

Todd, Professor D. P., 370 
Tongareva, 328 
Topelius, 185 
Torch, a, 103 

Tortoise, Phoenician name for 
Lyra, 292 

Triangular Spoon, 103 
Triangulum, 81 
Troy, 323 


Turkish name for Aquila, 307 
Turks, 90 

Twins, the, 171, 172, 173, 174, 
211 

Two-handed Pot, the, 264 
Tycho’s Star, 30 
Tyndarus, 299 
Typhon, 91, 134, 140, 246 


U 

Unicom, the, 179 
Unuk al Hay, 322 
Uranus, the Planet, 381 
Ursa Major, 5, 209, 281, 282; 

Beta in, 223; Eta in, 227 
Ursa Minor, 19, 20, no, 209, 
281, 283, 305; diagram of, 
18 

V 

Valentine, St., 317 
Variable stars, 39, 40, 197; Beta 
Lyras, 290; Eta Aquilas, 304; 
Omicron Ceti, 196 
Vatican at Rome, 323 
Vega, 98, 210, 231, 238, 287, 288, 
289, 297, 303, 304, 307; Arab 
name for, 289; Chinese name 
for, 289; color of, 287; distance 
of, 288; Japanese name for, 
289; the Pole star, 289; wor¬ 
ship of, 289 
Venator, 313 

Venice, Ducal Palace in, 100 
Venus, the goddess, 90, 91, 134, 
202, 376 

Venus, the Planet, 363; Arabian 
worship of, 366; distance of, 
363; earliest observations of, 
364; Greek idea of, 365; first 
identified, 366; length of day 
and year of, 363; Hindu name 
for, 366; how to recognize, 
364; Mexican temple to, 366; 
South American name for, 
366; size of, 363; symbol of, 
366; telescopic view of, 364 
Vernal Equinox, the, 89, 99. 




INDEX 


411 


Veronese, Paul, 100 
Vesper, 365 

Vesta, the asteroid, 375 
Vindemiatrix, 245 
Virgil, 201, 340 
Viigin, the, 243, 246, 250, 257 
Virginis, Epsilon, 245; Gamma, 
244 

Virgo, 243, 245; diagram of, 
242; Diamond of, 250 
Vulcan, 59, 160 
Vulture, the falling, 289, 300 

W 

“W ” shape of Cassiopeia, 30 
Wain, the, 14, 219 
Wali’s Palace, 129 
Wanjil, 176 

Warwick Collection, 264 
Water, Carrier, 128; Jar of 
Aquarius, 127, 128; Snake, the, 
268, 273 

Watling Street, 347 
Weather, moon’s effect on, 371 
Weaver, the, 307 
Weighing beam, the, 158 
Western Fish, the, 89 
Whale, the, 90, 195, 196, 198, 
201 


Wheat, Ear of, 244 
Whip, a, 31 
White Hawk, 234 
Whitman, Walt, 216 


Y 


“Y” inverted in Cancer, 267, 
268, 273 
Yard, the, 158 
Yellow Road, the, 246 
Yurree, 176 


Z 

Zeta Cancri, 269 

Zeus, 322; Bird of, 306 

Zodiac, 82, 83, 84, 89, 90, 96, 98, 
128, 137, 171, 245, 250, 254, 
267, 327 . 333 , 339 , 35 i, 367, 
373, 37 8 , 3 8 3’, divisions of, 
351; how divided, 83; leader 
of host of, 84; path of, 352; 
Prince of, 84; rhyme of, 84; 
symbols of, 351 

Zoharah, Arab name for Venus, 
366 

Zuni Indian legend, 13 






THE 


BOOK OF BIRDS 

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 

By 

F. SCHUYLER MATHEWS 


Cr. 8A Handsome Volume of 340 Pages . 

66 Color Plates and 29 Illustrations 
in Black and White 

M R. MATHEWS, who needs no introduc¬ 
tion to many thousands of nature lovers, 
has written a book so sympathetic, so simple, so 
direct, that it will make an instant appeal to 
Young People—all of those who are still young 
at five or fifty, including the wiser ones of High 
School age. 

The text is in narrative form, and the volume 
is beautifully illustrated in color by the author, 
as well as by charming photographs, maps, and 
musical notations. 

Children are by nature endowed with a love 
for the birds, and this book with its lightness 
of touch and deep understanding is sure to 
stimulate and broaden their interest, and will 
prove to be a potent factor in their more liberal 
education. 


G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS 

New York 


London 



The Book ol Flowers 
For Young People 

By 

F. Schuyler Mathews 

Mr. Mathews is a sympathetic natural¬ 
ist himself, and his children’s nature books, 
even though completely accurate, are 
written so simply that they cannot fail to 
stimulate a youngster’s ever-present curi¬ 
osity about the out-of-doors. The color 
illustrations are not only beautiful but 
authentic, and admirably calculated to 
instil a love of flowers in many a child’s 
impressionable mind. 


G. P. Putnam’s Sons 

New York 


London 



















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